Yesterday the wheels of justice were finally set in motion regarding the van Breda murder case from January of last year, son Henri appearing in court to face three charges of murder and one of attempted murder.

During his appearance it was also revealed that he would face a charge of defeating the ends of justice, for allegedly tampering with the crime scene.

Despite this he was granted R100 000 bail (full story HERE), and will now reappear at the Western Cape High Court on September 9.

The brief court appearance did bring some new evidence to light, and with the help of News24 we’ll touch on some of those below

Henri van Breda handed himself over to the police after they informed his advocate, Pieter Botha, of his imminent arrest. He reported to the Stellenbosch police station on Monday afternoon, where he was charged and spent the night behind bars.

Raised voices were heard coming from the Van Breda home in Goske Street, De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate, the night before the triple murder in January last year. The estate boasts top security measures and no intruders were reported on the estate at the time of the killings.

Henri van Breda did a Google search for emergency numbers at 04:27 on Tuesday, January 27, 2015, three minutes after trying to phone his girlfriend. He phoned emergency services just under three hours later to report the incident.

So you Google emergency numbers, where time is generally of the essence, and then sit back for a solid three hours?

An axe from the Van Breda home, believed to have been used in the attack, was recovered from the gruesome scene, as well as a kitchen knife which was part of a set belonging to the family.

Henri van Breda sustained superficial injuries, which included knife wounds. According to the State, there is expert medical opinion that the wounds were self-inflicted.

Henri was found at the scene, dressed in sleeping shorts and white socks. DNA analysis of the blood found on him and his clothes matched the DNA of his mother, father and brother. He is also accused of tampering with the crime scene and supplying false information to the police.

Senior advocate Susan Galloway represented the State. Her high profile cases include convictions against minibus taxi driver Jacob Humphreys after the death of 10 children when his vehicle was hit by a train at the Buttskop level crossing in Blackheath in 2010; as well as the murder of performance artist Rosemary Theron, whose daughter and her boyfriend were sentenced for strangling her at her Clovelly home in 2013.

Here’s an interesting question – if you think someone murdered their entire family with an axe (a failed attempt on Marli aside), surely you can’t release them on bail and say they don’t pose a threat to society?

I wouldn’t feel comfortable knowing I was anywhere near someone capable of deeds like these. I guess having a really powerful legal team can do wonders…

[source:news24]

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