Dad spoke to ‘killer’ at crime scene

Cape Town-05-06-2012: Moderator and Reverand Casper Edward Daniels from Brooklyn is the dad of Neil who he believe was killed and burnt on an open field in long grass in Brooklyn because he was gay.Here he broke out in tears pix Patrick Louw story Gennevive Serra

Cape Town-05-06-2012: Moderator and Reverand Casper Edward Daniels from Brooklyn is the dad of Neil who he believe was killed and burnt on an open field in long grass in Brooklyn because he was gay.Here he broke out in tears pix Patrick Louw story Gennevive Serra

Published Jun 11, 2012

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A grieving priest who believes his son was murdered because he was gay stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the suspect at the crime scene.

As Reverend Casper Edward looked at his son Neil Daniels’ burnt corpse last week, Clayton Fillies, 18, stood nearby.

Fillies has now been arrested for the murder of the 36-year-old Neil.

Neil’s burnt body was discovered by neighbourhood watch leader Elize Simon as it smouldered in an area of Brooklyn known as The Vlei.

He had also been stabbed.

The reverend, who is Moderator of the Christelike Evangelie Sending Kerk recalls that Fillies asked him whose body it was.

Fillies was picked up by cops hours later.

The teen is due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday when he is expected to apply for bail.

Reverend Daniels had told the Daily Voice he believed his son’s death was a hate crime because he was secretly gay and that only his family knew of his sexual preference.

 

“When I was at the scene, he (the suspect) was wearing a white cap and was standing next to me and I didn’t even know it was him,” explains Reverend Daniels.

“This person asked me: ‘Wie lê daar (Whose that)?’

“If only I had known, I was told later by a relative who it was standing next to me.

“But I want to go to court to look him in the eye.

“We cannot get involved with police work but justice must be served for my son’s death.”

Meanwhile, a neighbourhood watch member, who cannot be named, says the teen was writing exams when he was arrested.

“The police went to the school to arrest him and he was writing his exams,” says the member.

Provincial police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk says Fillies is facing a charge of murder and will apply for bail.

*This article was published in the Daily Voice

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