Delayed toxicology report puts Terblanche murder trial on hold
An outstanding toxicology report has placed the trial of alleged wife killer Arnold Terblanche on pause, prompting the Gqeberha magistrate’s court to postpone the matter to next month.
Yesterday, state advocate Marius Stander said while a date for a pretrial conference at the high court had been arranged, the state needed more time for further investigations pertaining to the toxicology report.
“The report is of extremely technical medical terminology which the state needs to be put in layman’s terms,” Stander said.
Terblanche’s lawyer, Alwyn Griebenow, said the defence had no issue with the postponement, before bringing an application to have his client’s bail conditions amended.
Griebenow requested that Terblanche not be restricted to only Nelson Mandela Bay but also be allowed to travel to the Kouga municipality which, by agreement with the state, the court allowed.
Terblanche was thrown a lifeline in February when he was granted R1m bail after being held in custody since his November 2021 arrest and failing several times to secure his release on bail.
Other bail conditions include that Terblanche make no contact or interfere with state witnesses and that he hand over all his travel documents.
He has been charged with the murder of his estranged wife, Vicki, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave on the outskirts of Gqeberha on October 21 2021.
Terblanche and Vicki’s boyfriend, Reinhardt Leach, have been charged with the murder, conspiracy to commit murder and defeating the ends of justice.
A third person charged with the murder, Dylan Cullis, pleaded guilty in March to his role in Vicki’s murder and was sentenced to an effective 18 years behind bars.
And while Leach has abandoned his bid for bail, a fourth person implicated in the murder, Mario de Ridder Jnr, has turned state witness and has allegedly given a statement in which he details all the role players in Vicki’s murder.
It is alleged Vicki died on or about October 18 2021 after she was drugged, suffocated and strangled at her Mill Park home, shoved into a car boot and her body dumped.
Cullis was arrested two days after she was reported missing by Leach on October 20.
In his plea explanation, Cullis claimed Leach and Terblanche had conspired to kill Vicki, while he was present when she was murdered and assisted in disposing of her body.
Terblanche faces six additional counts of conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice for offences allegedly committed while he was in custody at St Albans Correctional Facility.
Terblanche and Leach are expected back in court on June 21.