The motorist accused of the murder of motorcyclist Douglas Pearce (39) appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court this morning.
The case has been postponed to 26 June 2014 for the Director of Public Prosecution’s ruling.
The suspect, believed to be a lawyer, is facing a charge of murder after he shot dead Pearce in peak traffic on Malibongwe Drive on the morning of Valentine’s Day.
In February the record reported that Pearce allegedly had hit the suspect’s vehicle after which an altercation broke out between him and the motorist. Both men then allegedly drew their firearms – Pearce a 9mm pistol and the suspect a revolver.
Eyewitnesses also say that Pearce was walking back to his motorcycle when the suspect fired three shots. Two bullets hit Pearce in the stomach and one in the arm. One bullet allegedly went through his body. Pearce was declared dead at the scene, apparently having bled to death.
Three days after the incident the suspect appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrates’ Court and was granted R5 000 bail.
Reports indicate that the suspect claimed he had feared for his life and that he shot the victim in self-defence, and also that he did not intend to kill the motorcyclist.
