Krugersdorp #TripleMurder suspects appear in Johannesburg High Court today
The community has vowed that they will not forget the seven lives that were lost in the accused's alleged killing spree during 2016
The five suspects accused of murdering seven people over the span of six months during 2016 will appear in front of the Magistrate in the Johannesburg High Court for the first time in four months today, 5 May.
The #TripleMurder case, involving the accused Marcel, Cecilia, Marinda and Leroux Steyn and the Zak Valentine fraud case were centralised and moved for trial to the Palm Ridge High Court during their previous appearance on 27 January.
Also read: Magistrate scolds triple murder accused
The five stand accused on seven counts of murder. Their victims were Peter and Joan Meyer, Jarred Jackson, Glen McGregor, Anthony Scholefield, Kevin McAlpine and Hanle Lategan.
Together with the murder charges, they also face charges of robbery with aggravated assault, being in possession of an unlicensed firearm, committing fraud and identity theft.
Since their first appearances, all the accused have been denied bail and have caused considerable trouble for the magistrates. Marcel Steyn, the youngest accused, refused to let police take her picture during the identification process, leading the magistrate to scold her, saying that the police are allowed to use a reasonable amount of force to get the accused to pose for photos.
Photo: Bianca Pindral
Then, later on in their appearances, Marinda Steyn claimed that her visitation rights had been taken away, which meant she no longer had access to luxuries such as toilet paper. The investigating officer told the News that her visitation rights were cancelled because her only visitor, Dries Steyn (who is Cecilia’s husband), had carried messages between the various accused persons.
Also read: #TripleMurder accuseds’ pre-trial date set
One of the accused, John Anthony Barnard, has already pleaded guilty and turned state witness during the group’s last appearance. He will serve a 20-year sentence.
In more recent news, the West Rand Cluster Police have launched a manhunt for a man whom they believe could assist them with more information about the murders. Although this hasn’t been confirmed by the police, they released an ID kit picture to enable the public to assist with finding him.
Today’s court appearance is the pre-trial appearance – it is expected that a date for the trial will be set today. The News will write a follow-up on the court proceedings as soon as more information becomes available.
Watch the video taken during the group’s last appearance in the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court:
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