South Africa - Martin, 55, Theresa, 54, Rudi van Breda, 22, murdered, 26 Jan 2015 #1

[JudgeJudi]

Three bathrooms upstairs, she cleaned two. She didn't clean Henri's bathroom because it was late for her to do it.

Teresa, Rudi and Henri had been there. They spoke Afrikaans to each other. She doesn't understand Afrikaans.

Galloway - Every witnessed instances where they fought with each other? No, she says.

Galloway asks about the brothers' relationship. "I didn't quite observe the two of them, I didn't see them talking much with each other."

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Henri has his own bathroom, parents another, and Marli the third.

She is being showed photo evidence.

In the photos, she says the house looked like it normally looked.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Galloway says the top drawer is somewhat open. Knives and spoons stored there, Myongane confirms.

Galloway points out couch with blanket and pillows. She says Rudi had been laying there with that blanket that Monday.

Shown photo of an axe, cigarettes. She had identified the items - the axe was the same one that had been in the house. Usually stored in a shelf in the scullery where I used to fetch the ironing board

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Photo also shows knife, cigarettes. Set of knives that look the same as this one, in the drawer with the spoons, Myongane says.

She is now shown exhibit one, the axe, and exhibit 2 - the knife. Myongane says they look the same as what was in the house.

Now asked about the paper stuck to the fridge. Myongane says she was told the paper had emergency numbers if anything happened at the house.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Henri's cigarettes shown. Myongane says he was the only one who smoked. She never saw him smoking while his parents were there.

She last cleaned Henri's bathroom the previous Friday.

The last time she saw the family, she didn't notice anything different about them.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Adv Combrink to cross examine now.

Myongane says it is the same type - size and appearance - of axe she had seen at the house. She says she was previously shown picture of the axe.

She says she has seen many axes in her life, different types. She describes it as a small axe.

She doesn't know what the axe was used for in the past, as she never saw anyone using it. There was a fireplace outside the house.

Not saying it is the exact axe, but the same type of axe.

She told police its the same type as the one she saw in the house. She looked at the handle and saw it was the one. It had a sticker on it.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Combrink is trying to determine if it's the same axe that had been in the pantry. He tells Desai he is testing whether the axe was brought there. Desai says he finds the line of questioning torturous.

Myongane's statement now being examined.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Myongane's statement now being examined.

Her statement was written in English. And wasn't read back to her. She isn't fluent in English, Myongane says. She speaks Shona, and is testifying through an interpreter.

(t)wo statements - one taken 9 Feb 2015. She says she was at work and a policeman came to her workplace, showed her axe and knife. Asked me questions and wrote things down. He asked me to sign and confirm that is the statement.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Combrink says Marli's ex-boyfriend described it to have a black head and longer handle. The one shown is green.

Desai says it's a very dark green from where he is sitting. Galloway says there is some black on the head.


Tammy Petersen ‎@TammyPetersen87
Myongane shown exhibits - axe and a knife - and says they are the same as the ones she had seen at the #VanBreda house.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Tammy Petersen ‎@TammyPetersen87

These are the two mentioned exhibits. Myongane described it as a small axe and said she recognised both from the house. #VanBreda

Precious Munyongani (passenger seat) leaves court. Apologies for incorrect spelling - we weren't able to confirm it beforehand.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/Ne...trial-20170510

 

[JudgeJudi]

Lunch adjournent

 

[possumheart]

"Marli had been slashed through her jugular vein and endured five axe blows to the head, more than any of her loved ones."
(from below article)
I don't understand why Marli bore the brunt of the attack.
I have had an organic brain injury/damage and recovery.
I think she will be perfectly able to give evidence about family dynamics leading up to this and hopefully clarify the motive.
Certainly everything from the moment that axe hit her will be too hard for her to decipher, and it wouldn't be expected.

This is the worst image I have read and pictured in my mind:

As the medics moved the stricken girl, then 16, down to the ambulance 'the blood flowed like a waterfall to the bottom of the stairs,' he told the hushed court. 'In my 39 years of service this is the worst incidents I have ever seen' he added with a nod.

Rudi "gurgled/thrashed about" while Marli slow-bled

HvB ignored ALL for 4hrs pretending to have passed out.

But the truth is he chose to smoke cigarettes and tamper with crime scene evidence of which was a mop on the clothes line!

The murder weapon was recovered at the scene, still bearing the shop barcode labels – suggesting it had been recently bought

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nri-van-Breda-murder-trial.html#ixzz4gf1N0jT9

 

[Estelle]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 16m16 minutes ago
#vanbreda Precious now leaves court and we adjourn for lunch. Huge testimony from state witness.

It appears that Marli's ex-boyfriend, James, described axe as being black and about 40-50cms long. It is dark green and 40cms long. So if he saw in a dark cupboard, it could easily look black and 40cms is within his estimate. He will testify tomorrow.

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 56m56 minutes ago
#vanbreda Combrink now says Marli's BF also said the axe looked the same as the one in the house. But said axe head was black in colour.

 

[Estelle]

Sign of emotion at last from HvB

Anthony Molyneaux @AJGMolyneaux
#vanbreda Henri wipes away tears after Andre says it was a love filled family. @TimesLIVE

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 37m37 minutes ago

Here are the suspected murder weapons displayed in court.

@TimesLIVE

 

[Interested Bystander]

I am a little surprised that Precious Munyongani wasn't asked how long she had known the axe to be in the cupboard. It could have given some idea whether it was a newish purchase. It certainly didn't look as though it had been used. One assumes any blood on the axe had been cleaned from its appearance and the labels looked pristine. Is that usual with a murder exhibit?

 

[Estelle]

Anthony Molyneaux‏ @AJGMolyneaux 2h2 hours ago
#vanbreda Precious says the dog was called Sasha.It slept with Henri every night &it barked a bit when Precious arrived everyday.@T

I wonder what HvB did with the dog that night and whether it barked?

 

[Interested Bystander]

The axe looks black to me but it may be my computer screen.

 

[JudgeJudi]

I've read a different account from the Daily Mail aka Daily Fail:

The papers told how mother-of-three Theresa, 55, who died face down in her underwear, had her head split open by three axe blows.

Her 44-year-old husband Martin, wearing just a pair of light shorts, sustained at least five strikes to his head and another to the back of his neck.

The masters student, [Rudi] whom Van Breda witnessed 'gurgling' and 'thrashing about' as his life ebbed away, suffered four blows from the axe, which proved fatal, the post mortem report revealed.

Schoolgirl Marli, who is listed to give evidence against her brother, miraculously survived the assault and was found on the first floor landing, near her dead mother. Stark images revealed the then-16-year-old suffered four axe blows to her head and another across her jugular just below her left ear which was almost split in half.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4467998/Van-Breda-crime-scene-photos-grisly-publish.html

 

[PrimeSuspect]

I am a little surprised that Precious Munyongani wasn't asked how long she had known the axe to be in the cupboard. It could have given some idea whether it was a newish purchase. It certainly didn't look as though it had been used. One assumes any blood on the axe had been cleaned from its appearance and the labels looked pristine. Is that usual with a murder exhibit?

It looks new, never used before the murders? I'm hoping there's a docket of purchase. Precious is probably the only person who can give an approx time frame of the axe in the scullery. Maybe, Marli too?