The investigating officer in the Griquatown murder case, Colonel Dick de Waal, on Tuesday testified that, during his investigations, he methodically eliminated the explanations provided by the 16-year-old accused of the murders.
De Waal told the Northern Cape High Court yesterday that he ruled out a possible suspect whom the accused pinpointed, as well as his suggestions that it was a farm attack.
“The accused said there was a man in town that owed Deon Steenkamp R20 000. After questioning him, I was satisfied that he was not involved in the murders.”
He added that the accused also heard a car driving past the farm. The vehicle later made a U-turn and went back towards Griquatown on the day of the murders.
The only sign of a possible struggle was found near the gate where the farm workers lived. De Waal noticed “kick marks” on the rocky ground.
The police were unable to find any signs of break-in or foreign foot prints or tracks.
De Waal stated that it was standard procedure to test for gunpowder residue whenever firearms were involved in a crime.
On the night of the murders (April 6 2012), De Waal personally rushed to the scene “at maximum speed”, as the senior officers on duty at the Crime Unit was not available.
Acting on information that it was a farm attack, De Waal said the Tactical Response Team, the Provincial Local Criminal Record Centre, the SAPS K9 Unit and SAPS Air Wing were immediately dispatched to the scene.
He arrived at the Griquatown police station at about 8.30pm where he interviewed the accused.
“I wanted to establish what items were stolen, possible motives and suspects. The accused did not display any emotion or shock, nor did he burst into tears.”
De Waal also indicated that the accused was texting continuously his cell phone.
“There was a scratch on his neck and he explained that Marthella scratched him before she died while he was holding her in his arms. He said he pushed her away because of the blood.”
Residue tests and nail scrapes were taken from the accused and the weapons, brought in by the accused, were taken by the police.
“I also asked him to hand over his pants as evidence because there were blood marks on them and I wanted to determine whose blood it was,” De Waal said.
The teenager also told De Waal that he had an argument with Marthella earlier that afternoon (April 6) but did not elaborate on the reasons.
“He also admitted that he had used one of the firearms the previous day.”
Upon inspecting the crime scene, De Waal found four firearms, including two hunting rifles, inside the safe in the main bedroom.
“I did not find anything suspicious inside the shed.”
He said that he requested the accused to fill in a witness statement because he was on the premises at the time of the incident.
“The child’s guardian requested that an attorney be present, but I informed him that it was not necessary because he was not a suspect at that stage.”
De Waal indicated that the boy’s legal representatives, advocates Sharon Erasmus and Willem Coetzee, gave instructions that the boy refrain from assisting the police in the investigation.
“I informed them that he was a witness and that we needed to establish what items were stolen from the safe. They later agreed to allow him to point out where the firearms and blood marks were found. We found a pellet gun inside the shed as well as a container that was labelled ‘poisonous’.”