[Image: Facebook]
After five and a half weeks of gripping testimonies, unexpected witnesses, and a shocking confession from the accused—agreeing to testify against his girlfriend’s estranged husband—the Vicki Terblanche murder trial is nearing its climax, with counsel preparing to deliver their final arguments.
Reinhardt Leach, now a convicted murderer, has written a “heartfelt” letter to Vicki Terblanche’s teenage son, apologising for the pain he caused.
Except it’s a bit late for regrets when you’ve been found guilty of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The Eastern Cape High Court sealed the former Bay school teacher’s fate on Wednesday, convicting him on this laundry list of charges. Acting Judge Samson Dunywa said the state had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Leach had already pleaded guilty to drug possession, conspiracy to commit murder, and obstruction of justice.
Leach’s defence attorney, Advocate Jodine Coertzen, read a heartfelt letter from Leach into the record, which he said he had written with a heavy heart.
In a letter, Leach apologised to Vicki’s son and her family for the unimaginable pain he had caused not only for her family but also his own. To Vicki’s child, he said it was his role to protect someone precious to him, and he failed, and for that, he was deeply ashamed.
He also apologised to his parents, who he said raised him with love and to distinguish between right and wrong, and said he regretted the shame he had brought on their name. He said he accepted the consequences of his actions and had time to reflect during his time in prison, when he turned to God.
Meanwhile, he’s set to be sentenced on Thursday, hopefully, for life.
The gruesome details of the crime came out in court: In October 2021, just before her 42nd birthday, Vicki Terblanche’s body was found in a shallow grave in Greenbushes. She had been fed copious amounts of drugs, had her drink spiked, suffocated with a pillow, and then dumped like trash. Leach initially played the concerned partner, reporting her missing, but the act didn’t last long—he and his co-accused, Dylan Cullis, were arrested soon after. Cullis turned state witness and has already been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Leach, in a desperate attempt to shift the blame, claimed Vicki’s ex-husband, Arnold Terblanche, was behind it all. According to him, Arnold initially wanted hitmen to take out Vicki, but after discussing it, they decided to kill her instead. The motive was money, of course.
With Vicki dead, Terblanche, who was in the midst of a divorce and custody battle with the deceased, allegedly would have saved R5 million in spousal support that he would have had to fork out if the divorce went through. The court heard last week that Terblanche would have allegedly given Leach enough money to buy a farm where he would build houses for Dylan Cullis and Mario de Ridder, News24 reports.
Leach told the court that for several months, even while Terblanche himself was incarcerated, Vicki’s husband provided him with amounts that ranged between R1 000 and R4 000 a week to spend on drugs.
Cullis had clarified in court that although plans were discussed among himself, Leach, and De Ridder that Vicki had to be killed, Leach was allegedly the one who physically murdered her.
Arnold was arrested too but managed to post a hefty R1 million bail in February 2023. He’s due back in court in October, still insisting he’s not guilty. Time will tell whether he’s as innocent as he claims or if this whole sordid saga has another twist coming.
[Source: IOL]
