It’s been a while since we touched on the murder trial of Jason Rohde – our last update HERE.

Set to appear in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court on Friday, it has now come to light that murder-accused Jason Rohde had two scratch marks on his back days after his wife’s death.

Rohde, who was at the time the CEO of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty, is accused of murdering his wife, Susan, in their hotel room at the Spier Estate outside Stellenbosch in July last year.

They had been staying there whilst attending Sotheby’s International Realty SA’s annual conference

This new information is contained in a medical report which forms part of the charge sheet, reports News24:

According to the medical report, Rohde was taken by detectives from the Stellenbosch serious crimes unit to Victoria Hospital in Wynberg on July 28, four days after his wife’s death, where he was examined by Dr Marianne Tiemensma of the clinical forensic unit.

According to the report on the visit to the doctor, Rohde had been accompanied by his lawyer, a relative and the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Marlon Appolis.

Tiemensma had noticed two superficial scratch marks or linear scratches on Rohde’s back.

The top one was about 20mm long and 1mm wide. The one just below it was about 30mm long and about 1mm wide. There was no indication that the scratches had started healing yet.

Tiemensma also noted that Rohde had a “fresh” cut to the middle finger of his left hand. According to the medical report, Rohde said he’d cut himself with a glass vase.

He has three tattoos on his back. One of them apparently is the name of his late wife and another a bird.

According to Tiemensma’s the medical report, Rohde appeared concerned and anxious. However, he co-operated.

So what really happened here? If previous cases are anything to go by, we will never quite know the truth.

[source:news24]