Anguish of two mothers over occult killings

An emotional Silvia Theologo outside the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court this week. Her daughter, Kirsty, inset, died after she and a friend were set alight in an apparent satanic ritual. Picture: Anna Kamolane

An emotional Silvia Theologo outside the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court this week. Her daughter, Kirsty, inset, died after she and a friend were set alight in an apparent satanic ritual. Picture: Anna Kamolane

Published Oct 12, 2013

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A man who confessed to assaulting and setting alight his friend Kirsty Theologo in an apparent satanic ritual said he was testifying for her, the Johannesburg High Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, heard on Friday.

“From the very beginning, we (he and his co-accused) confessed. We turned ourselves in to the police, so I won’t be standing here trying to defend myself or lie to the court,” said Linden Wagner.

“I’m not doing this (testifying) for myself… I’m doing it for Kirsty,” he told the court.

Wagner allegedly masterminded the satanic plot which resulted in Theologo’s death.

On Thursday, he testified that he repeatedly hit Theologo, 18, with a rock on the head before dousing her with petrol and setting her alight on a hill in Linmeyer, Joburg, in October 2011.

“Kirsty had regained consciousness (after he hit her with the rock) and was standing. I splashed her with petrol. I then looked for a light. I heard Kirsty say she thought we were friends,” said Wagner.

It was then that he set her alight and she was engulfed in flames. Theologo died a week later in hospital.

Wagner also confessed to assaulting Theologo’s 14-year-old friend, who survived the attack. He claimed it was part of a satanic soul-selling ritual to help him gain power.

Wagner and three co-accused, Courtney Daniels, Harvey Isha and Robin Harwood, have pleaded not guilty to killing Theologo.

Two others, Jeremy King and Lester Moody, confessed to the crime and were each sentenced to 17 years in prison, five of them suspended.

Yesterday Wagner said a lawyer instructed him before the trial not to plead guilty.

 

“He said the court wouldn’t accept the fact that something took over me (when he killed her),” Wagner testified.

On Thursday, he told the court an overwhelming feeling had come over him while he attacked the girls.

Wagner said he initially thought of taking sole responsibility for the incident.

 

Judge Geraldine Borchers reprimanded Wagner for withholding evidence and advised him to tell the entire truth, as he had vowed to.

Earlier, Wagner told the court he had loved Theologo.

 

“We were close friends… There were times when we kissed, but we never had sexual relations,” he said.

Wagner told the court Theologo had briefly dated Harwood.

He said they had not discussed Theologo in a sexual manner as she was one of them.

The trial continues on Monday. - Sapa

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