Johannesburg - Dieter Bergs cut a lone figure sitting in the dock tapping his feet, eyebrows furrowed and clutching a hardcover book.
The 78-year-old Parktown North resident put the book down next to him and stared ahead of him as he made his first appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday on a charge of murdering his wife of 15 years, Genee, in March.
Genee was killed in what initially was thought to be a house robbery. Bergs sustained a hip injury during the shooting, but months later, investigators have apparently found a link between the cartridges dislodged during the shooting and his gun.
According to reports, police could not find evidence of a break-in that night.
Bergs is a well-known socialite and businessman. Magistrate Pieter du Plessis ruled that his advanced age and need for a chronic medication regimen were enough reason, among others, that he be released on R10 000 bail. He also said Bergs was not a flight risk.
The Star