Johannesburg - A man who claimed to be a spectator in the murder of Kirsty Theologo was actually a participant, a prosecutor submitted in the High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge on Monday.
In her closing argument, prosecutor Karien Coetzee recalled Harvey Isha's testimony that he froze and watched from behind a tree as Theologo, 18, was doused with petrol and set alight in an apparent Satanic ritual.
Isha had told the court he had remained with his friends, who were allegedly directly involved in the attack, until the next day.
“If he really wasn’t involved, he should have sought the first opportunity to remove himself from the situation,” said Coetzee.
Isha, Robin Harwood, Courtney Daniels and Linden Wagner are on trial for the murder of Theologo and the attempted murder of a 14-year-old girl, both of whom were their friends.
Isha told the court he left the group the next day, when he told the others he was fetching his passport and fleeing to the Congo.
However, Isha is a refugee and does not have a passport.
The court was also told that Isha had not worn black like the others who planned to participate in the ritual. He wore a dark blue T-shirt.
It was revealed that Isha bought the petrol used in the ritual after receiving money from Theologo.
Theologo and the 14-year-old were allegedly given alcohol laced with brake fluid.
Wagner told the court he strangled the 14-year-old girl, who was then tied up.
He told the court he repeatedly hit Theologo on the head with a rock, doused her with petrol and set her alight.
The attack occurred in October 2011 in Linmeyer. Theologo died a week later in hospital.
The court heard that the deaths were part of a soul-selling ritual which was meant to awaken the beast spoken of in the book Revelations in the Bible.
Some of the members of the group believed Theologo to be the prostitute spoken of in the Bible who needed to be sacrificed to awaken the beast.
Wagner said all of them had hoped to gain something from the ritual. He had hoped to gain power.
Two other accused, Lester Moody and Jeremy King earlier pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to 17 years in prison, five of which were suspended.
Sapa