Pitt Street Murders: Inside the mind of a killer
Decision to testify against co-accused retracted
Tshepo Romeo Ntsatsi, 23, one of the accused in the gruesome murder of David Gaunt, 74, and his wife Vera, 71, that took place on 26 April 2016, was sentenced to 28 years’ imprisonment on 7 June, in the Gauteng High Court.
This comes after he made a plea bargain with the State and agreed to testify against his co-accused, Thando Notshe, 25. The trial was then split, with Notshe’s scheduled to start on Monday, 12 June.
Initial Article:Â Elderly couple found murdered
Ntsatsi stood trial on two counts of murder and one of robbery with aggravating circumstances. In accordance with the plea bargain, his sentence was reduced from 65 years. But in a weird about-turn, Ntsatisi changed his mind on the morning of 8 June, and decided not to testify against Notshe. He will now have to appear alongside Notshe on 12 June to be resentenced.
The two were arrested on 3 June last year, after some dogged detective work, mainly tracking one of the stolen cellphones, from the investigating officer, Captain AR Odendaal .
The Record has obtained details of Ntsatsi’s plea bargain. It gives a chilling insight into the callous mind of this murderous criminal. According to him, he and Notshe decided to go house-breaking on the day in question. They boarded a taxi in Dobsonville and went to Roodepoort. They then started walking around Discovery to “spot a house to break in[to]”.
Also Ready: Pitt Street murders – suspects arrested
They chose the Gaunt residence because the gate gave them easy access to the property. The two were in the garage when David arrived home and parked in front of the garage. He went into the house, but found Notshe in the garage when he returned. When he confronted Notshe, he was told that Vera had instructed Notshe to sweep, but the next moment Ntsatisi pushed him to the ground. He then tied David up with an electrical cord. Ntsatsi grabbed a knife that was lying on a shelf in the garage and started stabbing David. Vera then walked in. After a short verbal exchange, Ntsatsi grabbed her, tied her up and stabbed her as well. He then tied black cloth around both victims’ necks, and when they continued to resist, he pulled plastic bags over their heads. Notshe instructed Ntsatsi to guard the Gaunts while he went into the house. He returned half an hour later. They took David’s wallet, cellphones, jewellery, a camera, other small items and the keys to his vehicle. They attempted to start it but failed. They then fled on foot, leaving the Gaunts stabbed, tied up, gagged, throttled and suffocated.
The most chilling part of the plea agreement appears in paragraph 14.8, which reads “Although the loss of the lives of the two deceased persons were not planned in advance, (Ntsatsi) admits that he had foreseen that, even though some of the houses’ owners or lawful occupants will not be there, there was a possibility that they could come back and find them in their houses. In such circumstances the owners or lawful occupants would resist and someone could end up being killed in such a situation. Although this thought did cross his mind upon entering the premises he did reconcile with that foreseeability” – in other words, although their intent was house-breaking, they were ready to commit murder.
Point 4 in the ‘Summary of Substantial Facts’ states “the deceased persons died at the scene due to the application of pressure to their necks. The cause of Vera Gaunt’s death also does not exclude the possibility of suffocation”.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websitesÂ
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
