Murder accused gives DVD-alibi

A MAN accused of murdering businesswoman and former schoolteacher Ruey-Lien Lin in her Framesby home in 2011 said yesterday he had spent the day in question at home – watching a series of religious DVDs.

He is Allister Booysen, 34, the former owner of a construction company that did work at Lin’s home.

He is charged with murder, robbery and housebreaking with aggravating circumstances, along with his former employees Davien Pietersen, 20, Nathaniel Swartbooi, 18, and Aiden Johnson, 18.

The state alleges that the four men were employed by Lin to repair the roof of her house about two weeks before she was found dead.

They completed the job on September 14 2011.

It is alleged that on September 19, Booysen and his co-accused, driving a yellow Nissan bakkie, returned to the Atlanta Street home.

The state’s case is that some of the suspects entered Lin’s house through the roof by lifting the tiles. They allegedly gained access to the victim’s bedroom through a trapdoor in the ceiling.

Lin was found with multiple stab wounds.

“In my original agreement with the client [Lin], we were supposed to do the underline of the roof,” Booysen said.

“When we were done with the work on September 14, she asked us to do additional work – remove rubble on the side of the house and replace broken tiles.

“On Friday the 16th, she called to tell me the tiles had arrived.

“I couldn’t go that day because of the rain. We don’t work on weekends and [on the] Monday I couldn’t because of the wind.

“On Monday the 19th, I was at home. From about 8am till about 1pm, I was watching a series of religious DVDs with my friend, Gideon, who is a minister. At 1pm, he went to sleep and so did I,” he said.

A witness, testifying in the trial last year, said Booysen’s bakkie had been at the scene of the murder on the day in question.

Booysen, however, said: “I stopped using that bakkie the day after we finished construction on the 14th because there was something wrong with the vehicle’s brakes.”

The trial continues today.

‘ I couldn’t go that day because of the rain. We don’t work on weekends