South Africa - Susan Rohde, 47, murdered, Stellenbosch, 24 July 2016

[JudgeJudi]

Abrahams could not find pic immediately. Will find it later.

Defence contends that many of Susan's injuries could have been sustained during her CPR. But Abrahams says Susan ingested blood, was alive when injured. The man doing CPR said Susan was not breathing, cold, but some warmth around her neck, so he tried CPR

Dr Abrahams is taken to task for her use of adjectives such as severe, prominent, pronounced, significant in her report on Susan's autopsy. Coetzee-Khan (who did the autopsy) was straight to the point, no adjectives, says VD Spuy

Dr Abrahams says she is allowed to express the severity of the injuries found on Susan's body

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

She says the internal bleeding seen in Susan was not from CPR

Abrahams says if there had been rib fracture after Susan's death (re possible CPR injury), there might have been minimal seepage of blood, because no circulation. Blood may just flow out of the site due to gravitational flow, not circulatory flow.

We are back to the hypostasis on Susan's body. This is what happens to fluid in body after death

There was a mark on back of Susan #Rohde's neck, says defence. Pathologist Abrahams says it wasn't there at first autopsy. Could be indentation by foreign object. Maybe a block, cannot exclude ligature placed after 1st autopsy. Wasn't there when they released body

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

Pathologist Abrahams denies that the State missed a mark on the back of Susan's neck

The pathologist insists that Susan's injuries were not in the same place as the ligature mark found on her. All marks State saw fit conclusively to manual forceful strangulation to the neck. The ligature was partial, incomplete, put on after death

State pathologist also says no way they caused damage to Susan's neck, even when removing the neck block for closer examination

Back to the colour of the ligature mark on Susan #Rohde. Defence and State arguing over whether colour of mark on he skin can tell whether placed before or after death

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

There was no blood in the muscle or soft tissue under Susan's ligature mark says State pathologist

Abrahams says skin is a vital organ and can be harvested after death and used for transplant, so if imprint of ligature placed after death, can expect some cellular action, but need more study. Defence says histology would have helped (State did no histology)

Jason #Rohde moves to a seat on the other side of court as slides of Susan's body projected on wall behind dock

The pics are being used to indicate that pathologists' measurement of ligature mark on Susan's body. Coetzee-Khan recorded ligature was 1495mm from patient's heel (doesnt say left of right). Perumal said he measured 95ml left side, 65ml on right side.

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

Abrahams wonders how private pathologist Dr Reggie Perumal measured because the State had stitched Susan #Rohde up after autopsy and could have affected his measurement

Defence asks for a break. Standing down for lunch

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

Trial resumes after lunch with gruesome pic of autopsy up on screen. Jason Rohde stares straight ahead in his chair to the side. Defence pointing out haemorrhaging in ribs

The gruesome pic is for defence to prove that a contusion on Susan's lung could have been caused by CPR. The pathologist says have already gone over this a few times. Says there was contusion of the lung and Susan swallowed the blood before she died.

Defence and pathologist at odds over a part of Susane's larynx. It has been removed for autopsy. I can hardly look. Defence accuses State of damaging a cartilage. State pathologist denies this

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

The defence asks for adjournment to Tuesday so that they can wrap up cross examination of Abrahams. Rohde's bail extended. Court adjourned

[url]https://twitter.com/itchybyte[/URL]

 

[JudgeJudi]

Jason Rohde ahead of the final stretch of cross-examination of the pathologist who oversaw the autopsy on his wife Susan.

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

The #Rohde trial resumes. Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe gives defence adv Van der Spuy a deadline - by tea time - to wrap his cross examination on Susan's autopsy.

Van der Spuy accuses pathology team of setting out to get conviction of Jason Rohde, and that they regard everybody else as wrong. Abrahams denies this and lists all the procedures they did during autopsy.

Dr Deidre Abrahams is accused by Rohde defence of ignoring every single world authority in medicine that was put to her re Susan's autopsy.

Dr Abrahams says that some of the authorities that were quoted were not given to her in writing, and in one study she pointed out defects. She was also not given "every world authority"

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

Defence says Abrahams just slammed Dr Perumal who did the private autopsy on Susan's body. Perumal concluded that Susan died by hanging. Abrahams says she is justified in pointing out discrepancies to the court.

Dr Abrahams notes the numbers of the pics of the blood on the pillow in the Rohdes' suite that she couldn't find yy. Says she did not manipulate pics or information. A soft object such as a pillow has been suggested by her as "instrument" for smothering.

Defence says Abrahams' standard response is to "trot out" the same reply that Susan was manually strangled.

Defence says Abrahams made "vexatious" findings. She says she is a scientist who makes observations. She is finally excused and steps down.

The court is adjourning for a short period so that Dr Abrahams can clear her documents. The other witness, a security guard, will be brought in

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

Pathologist Dr Deidre Abrahams's cross-examination in the #Rohde trial is expected to wrap today.

Kwanele Mabeta is next witness at Rohde trial

Mabeta was on duty as a security guard at Spier wine farm, starting 6pm, 23 July 2016

Mabeta confirms on an aerial shot what his patrol route was at Spier, and where he confirmed with a "bloodhound" device that he had been to various locations on his route.

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

Mabete said that he saw a couple while on patrol, and he saw a man push a lady. The lady was in a gown, the man in black pants

Mabeta says he saw that it was a disagreement and after the man pushed the woman, she moved backwards and they continued walking

Mabeta says he could tell it was an argument by their facial expressions

Mabeta did not see where they went but later went past room 221, the Rohde's suite, and reported that their door was open. All this happened after he had tapped in his security device at 3.23.45 on morning of July 24.

Defence adv Pete Mihalik cross examining Mabeta now. Reads from Mabeta's statement. Says that Mabeta stated that whenever the lady in the white gown would touch the man, he would push her away.

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

Mabeta is speaking through an interpreter whose name I will get during the break

Mihalik is laying the groundwork for a question over Mabeta's statement taken on 29 July. Asks if he was in "sound and sober mind", whether statement was read back to him etc. He is asked about the language of the statement - he says he made it in English

He is asked if he would have intervened if the man was kicking or hitting the woman with a fist. He says he would not have been able to handle two people, so would have called for back up. But there was no need because there was no crying or fighting between the two

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

Security guard Mabeta steps down. Now Prosecutor says witnesses need to come from Melbourne to court in Feb.

Prosecutor asks that in terms of CPA can witnesses Mark Holmes and Mr Anthony Gilpert-Warrior (sp) testify via CCTV instead of coming from Australia to save costs. Judge grants it

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[JudgeJudi]

Jason Rohde will be allowed to go to Plett until his trial resumes in Feb

Trial postponed to 5 Feb. His new bail conditions include reporting to Plett police several times a week, Stellenbosch mag still has his passport, he can't go near international departure points. If goes to Jozi, must tell IO, report to police there

https://twitter.com/itchybyte

 

[bajas]

Thank you for the updates, JudgeJudi. The more I read of this, the more I think he's guilty.

 

[L2L]

Great reporting, JJ, as usual! Thank you so much. Feb. will be a big month!

 

[JudgeJudi]

In the Rohde video, Anthony Molyneux referred to Jolene Alterskye as JR's "ex-mistress". That's the first I've heard of this.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-12-28-10-murder-cases-that-gripped-sa-in-2017/

The following sheds a bit more light on the subject:

"Jason Rohde’s former mistress has hired top criminal lawyer William Booth for the duration of the property mogul’s murder trial in which she is a State witness", but it’s not yet confirmed whether she will be called.

Booth said his role is to assist the prosecutor and Alterskye as a witness.

“I consult with her about what happens in court, prepare her for her testimony and generally guide her objectively and correctly through the whole process".

“It’s not a case of telling her what to say and what not to say because my client has already made a police statement. It’s more about preparing her for testimony in a criminal court which can be a harrowing and traumatic experience.”

“She didn’t witness anything. She had a relationship with the accused and no longer has had one for some time with him. But she is more than willing to testify. She has nothing to hide. She is not a suspect in the case at all. There’s no suspicion that she has done anything illegal.”

https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/rohdes-ex-lover-seeks-legal-help-from-william-booth-12148925

William Booth frequently gave interviews during the OP trial.

Was it a case of "if the heat's too great, get out of the kitchen"?

 

[JerseyGirl]

Rohde's no-show at murder trial

In a day filled with drama‚ Rohde failed to appear in court on Monday. The trial was supposed to sit for the first time since November.

https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-02-05-rohdes-no-show-at-murder-trial/

 

[Soekie]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ktM1l_M4nEc