Van Breda murder trial starts
THE FOCUS of the world’s media will once again be trained on our country’s courts as yet another sensational murder trial gets under way.
Murder accused Henri van Breda, 22, accused of killing his parents and his older brother in January 2015, will stand trial in the Western Cape High Court for the gruesome attacks which took place at the family’s luxury De Zalze golf estate in Stellenbosch.
His younger sister Marli, who was critically wounded in the attack, but survived, is touted as one of the prosecution’s lead witnesses.
Van Breda and his deceased brother Rudi were former students at Australia’s prestigious Scotch College, before the family’s return to South Africa in 2014.
The bloodied bodies of his father Martin van Breda, his mother Teresa and Rudi were discovered in the upmarket estate on the night of January 26, 2015, hours after neighbours allegedly heard raised voices in the house. The three had been hacked to death with an axe.
If found guilty of the murders, Van Breda would not benefit from any inheritance, criminal law attorney William Booth said yesterday.
Van Breda handed himself over to police in June last year. Police confirmed he had been charged with three counts of premeditated murder, attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice. The latter charge stems from allegations that he fed police false information.
Judge Siraj Desai, who will be presiding over the matter, was today first expected to rule on whether the trial will be broadcast live.