#PelserTrial: State asks for Pelser to be found guilty of premeditated murder
Pelser's evidence was concocted, said State Prosecutor.
Within an hour, closing arguments in the Marthinus Pelser trial were wrapped up.
Earlier this morning, 19 December, State Prosecutor Paseka Temeki addressed the Court first. The State submitted that baby Deon was still alive when Bianca Rothman left home for her second shift and that the accused caused the death of his only son. He focused on the following aspects of Pelser’s evidence – that he contradicted himself, that he admitted he and his now ex-wife had violent altercations, that he did not “know why he had not reported the incident to authorities” and “somehow knew he was going to be blamed”, went on the run for five days, he had a selective memory, he admitted that the bathwater in which he bathed the baby was hot, he claimed he’d taken a large number of pills yet he was to drive a vehicle, and didn’t use the opportunity afforded him at Honeydew Police Station to tell the officer who took his statement his version of what happened.
Also read:Â #PelserTrial: “You decided on that day to hurt the mother and son” – Prosecutor
Temeki also said that although Rothman was a single witness, based on previous cases, there was no reason to doubt her credibility. He went on to say that Rothman was not there when the murder was committed and only made the gruesome discovery on her return from work. Temeki said Pelser admitted that the items in the room were taken there by him and the State’s inference is that these items were used to kill the baby. He said Pelser had means, motive (Bianca’s insistence on getting a divorce) and the opportunity to commit the murder. “It is the State’s submission that Pelser was not a happy man and wanted to get back at Rothman by killing their child in the manner he did,” said Temeki. “There was no satisfactory evidence or explanation from the accused and he concocted evidence,” he concluded.
The State then asked that Pelser be found of guilty of premeditated murder.
The Defence then addressed the court, beginning by saying that the actual cause (exactly which injury) of death was not determined although the State Pathologist had testified that blunt force trauma was the cause of death. She also said that each injury on its own could have caused the death of the baby. The Defence also stated that Rothman’s opinion that Pelser had killed their child was not enough to infer that he had actually done so.
The Defence then asked the Court to accept Pelser’s version of events, and declare him innocent of the crime.
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