Cape Town – More shocking details emerged on the second day of the murder trial of Howard Oliver in the Western Cape High Court. Oliver is accused of raping, robbing and killing 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger.
Franziska went missing while jogging with her mother in Tokai Forest a year ago.
Constable Donivan Pietersen from Kirstenhof SAPS was the first witness of the day, and testified that he arrested the accused on a farm. Pietersen told the court he had asked Oliver if he gave the murdered girl's iPhone to Jerome Moses.
Moses was one of the three men who were charged with receiving and possession of stolen property, namely, the teenager’s cellphone. The other two men were Jonathan Jonas and Daniel Easter.
Pietersen stated that Oliver said Jerome Moses asked him to sell phone. Oliver was arrested, and read his rights. Pietersen said that he knew Oliver before Tokai Forest murder, and he also knew Jonathan Jonas.
The Kirstenhof cop says he made four arrests, and that all the suspects lived in Westlake, which is approximately 10km from Tokai Forest.
On 8 March 2016, a person called Baby brought the stolen iPhone to the station. It was off and the the police then took a statement. Pietersen said that Moses led him to Oliver.
Moses was in the van when they took Oliver into police custody. Oliver, through his lawyer, then objected and said that the officer who is testifying did not arrest him, but Pietersen maintains he did.
Andre van Rooyen was called as the next witness in the case, and he gave evidence saying he worked with Oliver at Klein Constantia vineyard last year. On day of murder, Van Rooyen said Oliver spoke to farm manager before lunch and then left.
“I got 2 calls from Oliver that day, I did not recognise the number the first time. He said we must meet at a shop.” Van Rooyen met with Oliver for Mandrax, saying “he did not look lekker, he looked twitchy”, Van Rooyen said.
Van Rooyen and Oliver both took a drag of Mandrax and dagga when Oliver opened up and said “this thing will bother me”. Van Rooyen says that Oliver did not say what was bothering him.
Van Rooyen and Oliver travelled together the next morning, and said that farm workers on truck were talking about a murder.
The state witness after Van Rooyen was only 17 years old, and because he is a minor, journalists and the public were expected to wait outside while he finished testifying.
Deon Bock, Hout Bay police captain, was the next witness, and said that Oliver had a lawyer present during pointing out.
The court then proceed to watch a video which started with Oliver, his lawyer and Captain Bok in his office at Kirstenhof SAPS on 8 June 2016.
In the video Oliver's rights are explained, and within it he told Bok he wanted to point out crime scene.
In another video Oliver was in a police car with lawyer, showing the grassy path he walked after lunch that day. The next video had Oliver going to Tokai forest, and in it he walked along the path in Tokai.
Oliver and the team walk through fynbos and then on the boardwalk.
The video showed that Oliver went deep into reserve to smoke, then proceeded to take a shortcut home through the bush.
Oliver told the officer he saw a girl jogging with earphones. He saw her phone and grabbed her from behind. He said he and the teen fell to floor, she tried to loosen his arms from her neck – “We struggled”.
Daniel Easter, who got a suspended sentence after admitting he paid R200 for teen's stolen iPhone in February, was supposed to be in court, but was absent. The state asked for a warrant of arrest which was authorized by the court.
The trial will continue on Monday with a with video showing Oliver describing how he robbed teen.