First photo of all the accused in #TripleMurder case

John Barnard has been added to the charge sheet as one of the accused, and will be appearing with the rest of the accused in upcoming court appearances.

November 7, 2016

Bianca Pindral 2 minutes read

The Steyns – Marcel, Cecilia (not related), Marinda and Leroux as well as John Barnard (blue shirt) appeared in front of the Krugersdorp Magistrates' Court on Monday, 7 November.

The ongoing triple murder court case once again drew a large crowd to the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court on 7 November, because accused number one, Zak Valentine, was expected to appear in front of the magistrate for the first time alongside his five co-accused. The group is facing more than 11 murder charges.

However, when the accused persons made their way up the stairs, Valentine was missing. Those present were Marcel, Leroux, and Marinda Steyn, Cecilia Steyn (not related to the other Steyns), and John Barnard. Barnard is new to the group, having only recently been arrested and added to the charge sheet, bringing the total number of accused persons to six.

A media frenzy broke out as journalists from different media houses took advantage of their first opportunity to take pictures of all the accused together.

The Magistrate entered the court and started by addressing the absence of Valentine. The State informed the court that Valentine has been hospitalised since 3 November, allegedly because of blood sugar issues. The Magistrate said the court would sign a J7 form, a document which addresses the prison and ensures his detention.

Zak Valentine, the man accused of faking his own death and murdering a homeless man, makes his way down to the court's holding cells after Magistrate Keith Page denied his bail application. — Zak Valentine, the man accused of faking his own death and murdering a homeless man, makes his way down to the court’s holding cells after Magistrate Keith Page denied his bail application.

The State then requested that the case be postponed for at least two months, offering four main reasons for its request, namely: to give the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) time to centralise the cases; finalise all indictments; finalise all DNA evidence, and add the highly likely charges of alleged racketeering to the charge sheet.

Marcel, Cecilia, Marinda and Leroux Steyn as well as Johan Barnard, appeared in front of the Krugersdorp Magistrates' Court on Monday, 7 November and the media had their first opportunity to take pictures of them. — Marcel, Cecilia, Marinda and Leroux Steyn as well as John Barnard, appeared in front of the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 7 November and the media had their first opportunity to take pictures of them.

The indictment is 42 pages long. The State also mentioned that the NDPP pointed out that the case needed to be handled speedily as it is highly likely that all the accused might be charged with at least one murder.

The case was postponed to 27 January 2017. The Magistrate pointed out that this is a lengthy postponement, giving the State ample time to finalise all information. He said that the accused had been detained since July and thus the case should proceed speedily.

The attorney of Cecilia Steyn, accused number two, informed the court of their intention to apply for bail. This bail hearing was scheduled for 5 December at the Krugersdorp Magistrates’ Court as it was seen as an urgent matter that needed to be addressed speedily.