Not a single lead came from the police publicising the description of a suspect Henri van Breda claims murdered his family.
Investigating officer Marlon Appollis yesterday told the Western Cape High Court that police had circulated Van Breda’s explanation of an alleged suspect, which was his build, height and balaclava-covered face.
State prosecutor Susan Galloway asked if that had yielded any results, to which Appollis responded: “Nothing.”
During cross-examination, Van Breda’s legal representative, Pieter Botha, questioned whether anyone would be able to tip off police with just that information.
Appollis said: “You’d be surprised how many leads we get with a little bit of information.”
In his plea explanation, Van Breda said that on January 27, 2015, a laughing, axe-wielding man wearing a balaclava killed his mother, Teresa, 55, father Martin, 54, and brother Rudi, 22. Van Breda said the same person also tried to kill his sister, Marli, who now suffers retrograde amnesia from blows to her head.
Van Breda alleges he was able to disarm the intruder, who then ran out of the house.
In June last year Van Breda, 22, handed himself over to police, and he first appeared in court on June 14 last year to face three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty.
A green-headed, light brown-handled axe - found to be the murder weapon, also came into focus yesterday, when Judge Siraj Desai asked Appollis if it was the only one recovered at the scene. Appollis said the axe, retrieved by forensics, was the only axe in the house.
It was covered in blood, and later examined for DNA evidence.
Botha said a previous witness, Marli’s then-boyfriend, James Reade-Jahn, had testified that he remembered the Van Bredas having a black-headed axe.
Appollis referenced previous testimony from domestic worker Precious Munyongani, who said the family kept their axe in the pantry.
Appollis said that when police arrived, there was no axe in the pantry.
The case continues on Monday, when a blood spatter expert is expected to testify.