Johannesburg - Kirsty Theologo, who was set alight in an apparent satanic ritual, was the great prostitute ruling over Johannesburg, the High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate's Court head on Thursday.
Lester Moody, 19, was testifying against the four people accused of conducting the ritual. He admitted to the crime and has entered into a plea bargain with the State in an attempt to get a lesser sentence.
“You got the idea of burning the prostitute and eating her flesh, stripping her naked, from Revelations 17?” defence advocate Enrico Guarneri asked Moody.
“Yes,” he said.
“Did Kirsty represent a great prostitute ruling over the kings of the world,” Guarneri asked.
“Yes,” responded Moody.
“Yes? And what city was she ruling over?” he asked.
“Johannesburg,” Moody responded.
Chuckling and giggling broke out in court when Moody gave his response.
Guarneri had read Moody the passage from Revelations 17:15-16.
Earlier, Moody told the court the ritual was based on that Bible verse and the satanic elements were only added at a later stage.
In previous proceedings he said he stumbled across the verse one afternoon after playing soccer.
A small New Testament Bible was on his table and when he opened it, he found the scripture.
He told the court he had read the verse several times and was confused by it.
“Why didn't you ask your father? He's an obvious expert isn't he?” Judge Geraldine asked Moody on Thursday.
The court heard that Moody was the son of a Christian pastor.
He said he did not know why he had not asked his father to explain the verse to him.
Guarneri also asked Moody to show the court where it was written in the verse that one should drink blood.
Moody glanced at the photocopied verse, printed by the State prosecutor from the internet, and told the court he could not find it.
“It's not there,” he told Guarneri.
“Not there? See, the other day you recited it to the court and included the drinking of blood,” Guarneri said to Moody.
“You see, its very peculiar that in the Bible, it says nothing about drinking blood,” he added.
Judge Borchers interjected and suggested maybe Moody had read the verse from a different version.
Moody said he read his version from the New Testament but did not say what version.
When the court failed to identify the version Moody had read, Guarneri said he did not believe that one version of the Bible would have one sentence while another would not have it at all.
He then asked Moody when it was revealed to him who the beast - also mentioned in the Bible - was.
“All the way until you murdered Kirsty, was it revealed to you or did you find out who the beast was?” Guarneri put to Moody.
Moody said it was never revealed.
“You wanted to give power to the beast but you didn't know who it was?” he asked.
“So you must have been smoking a lot of dagga,” said Guarneri.
Moody is testifying against Lindon Wagner, Robin Harwood, Harvey Isha, and Courtney Daniels.
They have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Theologo was 18 when she was doused with petrol and set alight on a hill behind the Linmeyer swimming pool, near Julius Street, Johannesburg, on October 21, 2011.
She died of her injuries a week later at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. Her friend, who was 14 at the time, was also burnt but survived. - Sapa