Kimberley - Mystery surrounds a single fingerprint lifted from a drinking glass found on a Griquatown farm murder scene, the Northern Cape High Court heard on Thursday.
“We do not know who that fingerprint belongs to?” defence lawyer Sharon Erasmus asked State witness Constable Motlalekgomo Mohitlhi.
The officer from the provincial crime scene unit replied: “That is correct.”.
The court was hearing evidence in the triple murder trial of a 16-year-old boy.
Deon Steenkamp, 44, his wife Christelle, 43, and daughter Marthella, 14, were killed on the farm Naauwhoek on April 6 last year.
The glass with the fingerprint was found lying near the back door of the farmhouse.
Erasmus submitted that Mohitlhi received various fingerprints from the investigator to test against the print found.
“It is possible that an unidentified person was on the scene that we do not know yet,” said Erasmus, which was confirmed by Mohitlhi.
Earlier, he testified he did primary residue tests on the boy at the police station.
He did a red colour test on the boy’s right hand and a blue colour test on the left hand.
“I sealed the test in front of him.”
Mohitlhi was also the policeman tasked to do the first recording of the murder scene at the farm with a video camera. The video was shown in court and was in two clips. The first was a short recording of the farm house's back door. Mohitlhi testified the farm dogs ran to him at that point and he thought they would bite him.
He continued after he was ensured the dogs would not bite. The video starts in darkness, with the back door of the farm house in a small spotlight. In the background the sound of crickets could be heard.
Inside the house, the video showed that the television was still on with a film showing. Outside, two sheep dogs could be seen running around.
The State’s first four witnesses this week had only testified to exhibits that were handed in a court, for the court record.
The relevance of the exhibits, mostly photos, would become clearer as the trial continues and State witnesses testifies.
The court was adjourned to Friday morning. - Sapa