Trial of son accused of killing his father’s girlfriend postponed

THE TRIAL of an 18-year-old man, accused of murdering his father’s girlfriend by shooting her several times with a .22 rifle on a farm outside Prieska, will continue in the Northern Cape High Court next year.

Cornelius Frans Vermeulen, from the farm Jonkerwater, outside Prieska, is accused of murdering Serifa Abygail Jennifer Brown, the woman his father had a “live-in relationship” with.

Brown was found dead on May 21 2016, with six gunshot wounds (two to the head) on the farm Jonkerwater, where she lived with Vermeulen’s father, Albertus Vermeulen.

At the time of the incident, the accused lived in Prieska during the week, where he attended school. He would, however, often spend his weekends on his father’s farm.

On the day of the incident the accused and Brown were on the farm together.

During the evening of the alleged incident, the accused contacted his father by cell phone on numerous occasions.

Later during the same evening, the accused traveled alone to the house of his grandfather in Prieska. He had a .22 rifle with him.

Police were then contacted and they went to the farm, where the body of Brown was discovered. She was already dead. According to the autopsy report, Brown sustained six gunshot wounds. It was, however the two gunshots to the head which killed her.

The accused was arrested the same evening at his grandfather’s house in Prieska.

The State alleges that he used the .22 rifle to shoot and kill Brown.

The accused appeared in the Northern Cape High Court on Friday and his trial was postponed to next year. He is yet to plead. He completed a 30day psychiatric observation period last week but the results of the observation has not yet been handed to the court.

His bail was been extended.