GUILTY South Africa - Susan Rohde, 47, murdered, Stellenbosch, 24 July 2016 - #2

[PrimeSuspect]

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[Dora in the field]

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge

#Rohde VDS says after they wrote another letter asking State what caused Susan's death, the reply was: "The State's answer remains the same and is further intensified by the State Witness [pathologist] Dr Abrahams" @TeamNews24

#Rohde VDS says that State is bound by Abraham's testimony that Susan's death was through manual strangulation with a ligature applied post-mortem. He says she never referred to smothering. @TeamNews24

 

[Dora in the field]

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge

#Rohde VDS says that in contrast, prosecutor Louis van Niekerk never put that cause of death to Jason when he was on the stand. Instead, he repeatedly said Jason wanted to shut up his wife and smothered her. @TeamNews24

#Rohde Defence says the State conceded yesterday that it still does not know what the cause of death was. "My respectful submission is that the evidence overwhelmingly points in favour of proving the version of the accused". @TeamNews24

#Rohde VDS: Jason's version is corroborated by all objective facts- all the DNA evidence, all the expert fingerprint evidence, the telephone records, SMS records, the Spier hotel telephone records, blood splatter evidence and others. @TeamNews24

 

[Dora in the field]

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde VDS: My argument will be that the entire evidence of Spier worker Desmond Daniels was unsatisfactory and flawed. @TeamNews24

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde On circumstantial evidence, VDS says State wants to infer that there is a sinister reason for Susan's gown being inside out. He said Captain Joubert, who noticed this, was only on the scene later that day. @TeamNews24

 

[Dora in the field]

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde Continuing with the gown, VDS says the first person to examine her on the scene was State pathologist Dr Khan, who never mentioned an inside out gown in his report. He says sinister motive suddenly "flies out the window" @TeamNews24

 

[Dora in the field]

VDS portrays Dr. Khan as inadequate.

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde VDS on Dr Coetzee-Khan: His evidence simply does not stand the test of scrutiny and cannot be accepted. Most certainly, it cannot be preferred to that of Dr Perumal and Dr Loftus. @TeamNews24

#Rohde Defence says Coetzee-Khan "let himself down completely" in some ways with serious ignorance of even the most basic forensic principles, not telling the truth and incompetently performing the inspection at the scene and the autopsy. @TeamNews24

 

[tmar]

Wow.
No interjections by Judge, and Spuy has been speaking for > 20 mins so far!!!!

 

[Dora in the field]

Nick van der Leek‏ @HiRezLife
#Rohde Death at 05:00 at around 95% according to state pathologist. This is a major discrepancy with the the defense. They say she died as late as two to three hours later. So how can she be pale & cold in the latter circumstance, especially if she was found minutes after death

#Rohde Van der Spuy now referring to changes in body temperature. Refers to zero description of pallor. Again, he refers to absence of descriptions by the cops, but a witness on the scene, Rohde's friend was pretty clear on what he saw.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

double post

 

[Dora in the field]

VDS argues Dr. Kahn's autopsy report was a disaster

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde Other mistakes VDS feels State pathologist made are him stating exact time of death with 95% probability and assuming that Susan's bruises were a sign of battered wife syndrome. Defence calls this a "cacophony of accumulated incorrect assumptions". @TeamNews24

#Rohde VDS says that anyone who watches crime shows knows that time of death calculations are fraught with difficulties. At best, he says, pathologist could have said with 95% probability that Susan died between 3:40am and 8:28am, not at exactly 5:40am. @TeamNews24

Nick van der Leek‏ @HiRezLife
#Rohde Van der Spuy refers to the pathologist's "dishonesty", then checks himself. Says he'll soften it to an "error". Van der Spuy has gone on for 90 minutes, Salie-Hlophe has hardly interrupted him once. Even so, already feels twice as long as Van Niekerl's argument yesterday.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

VdS- something fishy is going on.....?

VdS - I say, with the proverbial tear in my eye....


Flowery talk going on!

 

[Dora in the field]

... and still no interjection from the Judge! Not a single question, nothing!

 

[Dora in the field]

The Judge finally made a comment and urged VDS to be done with his arguments today! Short break.

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde VDS asks for a tea adjournment. Judge wants to know if he is on track to be done today. "I am keeping my fingers crossed the whole time. I go as fast as I can. I trust I will be done but I have a job to do," he replies. Back in 10 minutes. @TeamNews24

 

[PrimeSuspect]

Thank you for the tweets @Dora in the field

Hmm, seems like the judge is buying it, she looks bored though, she's probably made up her mind. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[tmar]

Thank you for the tweets @Dora in the field

Hmm, seems like the judge is buying it, she looks bored though, she's probably made up her mind. I hope I'm wrong.

Spuy has used his entire Closing, by criticizing the Expert Witness Reports.
Sounds horrid.

Loved the Judge stating "the FOCUS IS ON ARGUMENTS NOT A REHASH OF THE EVIDENCE.

 

[Dora in the field]

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde We are back. Defence still arguing why court should not attach weight to evidence of State pathologist Coetzee-Khan. @TeamNews24

 

[tmar]

Thank you for the tweets @Dora in the field

Hmm, seems like the judge is buying it, she looks bored though, she's probably made up her mind. I hope I'm wrong.[/QUOTE)

 

[tmar]

Thanks Dora.
Not looking good, so far.

 

[Dora in the field]

Yes tmar, that is my feeling as well...

 

[Dora in the field]

Nick van der Leek‏ @HiRezLife
#Rohde Van der Spuy bobbing around, lots of swagger. Almost never looks down to look at his notes. Salie-Hlophe breaks in to interrupt him. Van der Spuy suggests Susan stumbled in garden, fractured her ribs and then went to bed and slept peacefully until 7. Yup, very reasonable.

Jenna Etheridge‏ @JennaEtheridge
#Rohde VDS suggests that Susan fractured some ribs while falling in the garden in the dark. Salie-Hlophe then asks if their case is that she then woke up with those fractures and proceeded with hanging. VDS replies it is a possibility. @TeamNews24