Dead man’s case blown open
School teacher's son implicated and added to another case.
On the morning of 23 August, a packed courtroom anxiously waited for the 31-year-old man who faked his own death last year to take the stand in the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court. He remains unnamed as he has yet to plead to the charges against him.
Those who attended court proceedings got more than they bargained for when two additional suspects made their way up the stairs.
One of them was Leroux Steyn, who is one of the suspects in the case of the murders of three Krugersdorp residents in May. Steyn is the son of the 50-year-old high school teacher who was arrested in July.
Read: Murder accused siblings’ mother also arrested
The teacher and her friend made their first appearance in July in connection with the case of the man who ‘died’ in an incident in 2015 that has subsequently evolved into a R3,6 million life insurance fraud case.
The three men stood shoulder to shoulder as Magistrate Page and the courtroom heard the additional charges being added to the case. The third suspect is a 41-year-old male who was arrested last week. He can also not be named as he has not pleaded to the charges against him. He is also expected to be added to the triple murders case in due course.
Steyn, who is accused four in the triple murder case, has charges piling up against him which include fraud, conspiracy to murder, robbery with aggravating circumstance, murder, possession of illegal firearms and possession of illegal ammunition. He indicated that he already has legal representation who will also represent him in the second case.
The ‘dead man’ indicated he would make use of a private attorney to represent him.
The State again asked that the case be postponed and for it to be centralised, that is, combined with the Krugersdorp triple murder case, since new suspects have been added to the case. Although Victor da Silva, Steyn’s legal representative, argued that the accused have the right to a speedy trail, Magistrate Page granted the postponement.
“You will remain in custody and no bail has been set,” Page said.
All three accused will again appear in the court on 3 October.
Read more on this developing case:
No bail for best friends in ‘dead man’ fraud saga
Murdered couple’s case still under investigation
ID kits released in Meyer couple murder
Court hears how accused played their parts in murders
Local teacher involved in ‘dead man’s’ fraud case
Ammunition found in teachers class storeroom
