The case against Alberton murder-accused duo Werner Jack Schoeman and Delichia Bekker is set to continue in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.

According to Alberton Record, the pair is accused of involvement in the murder of Susan Gillian Murray and returned to court on Tuesday.

Murray, who lived in Verwoerdpark at the time of her death, was found dumped in Alberton North in November 2023. Schoeman and Bekker face charges including murder, fraud and theft. Bekker, Murray’s daughter, is accused of involvement in her mother’s death and was arrested days before Schoeman, who was caught while hiding in South Hills.

Vehicle-theft testimony

The state led testimony about cars stolen from Murray’s Verwoerdpark home. Two of the vehicles belonged to her stepson, who had parked them there for safekeeping, while a third belonged to the deceased.

All vehicles were recovered shortly before the arrests. The court has now heard testimony from two police officers, one from Alberton SAPS and another from Germiston SAPS.

Germiston SAPS sergeant on the stand

A police sergeant attached to Germiston SAPS took the witness stand on Tuesday. His testimony focused on the theft of vehicles from Murray’s home.

Asked where the vehicles were found, the sergeant said: “We got information about two vehicles located at a property in Lampton, Germiston. On arrival, we found a man who confirmed that he is the owner of the property.”

The police sergeant testified that they then questioned the man about the vehicles parked in his yard. “We found a Nissan and a Lexus, among other vehicles. The property owner alleged that he had bought the vehicles (a Nissan and a Lexus) from the couple, but he didn’t have the couple’s contact details. He added, however, that the couple is known to him,” said the sergeant.

The sergeant testified that the property owner led the police to where he suspected the couple might be. They searched for them at Elsburg and an area known as Ramamphosa, but the couple was never found. The police recovered the vehicles from the Lampton property and had them kept at a SAPS pound for safekeeping.

Documentation handed in as evidence

The state wrapped up by taking the police officer through documents, including the property owner’s ID, location details of where the cars were found and the vehicle registration documents.

The SAPS member confirmed knowledge of the papers, and they were handed in as exhibits. Exhibits are documents or digital files submitted as evidence during a trial.

The defence informed the court that they would neither question nor cross-examine the police sergeant from Germiston SAPS.

The matter was adjourned to tomorrow for further evidence. The state plans to lead other witnesses at a date yet to be confirmed. Alberton Record understands that the next witness will testify via videoconference from a remote location. Schoeman and Bekker remain in custody.

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