Cape Town - A charge sheet against a top police officer accused of shooting dead his colleague in August has not yet been finalised by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Marlon Appollis appeared briefly in the Franschhoek magistrate’s court on Monday on a charge of culpable homicide in connection with the death of 40-year-old David Hoffman.
The State then asked for a postponement pending instructions from the DPP regarding the charge to be formulated against the accused. The entire docket was handed over to the DPP.
The incident happened on August 17 at a social gathering which was attended by Appollis and Hoffman. It is alleged that Appollis pulled out his service firearm and shot his colleague.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson Sontaga Seisa said back in August: “It’s alleged that there was a braai at a private house attended by the deceased and the suspect. The pair were off-duty.
“At the braai, the suspect pulled out his service pistol and shot dead his 40-year-old colleague. He was shot in the head. The motive for the killing is still unclear and the Ipid investigation is continuing.”
Appollis was released on R1 000 bail.
A former detective, Appolis was involved in the successful conviction of triple-axe murderer Henri van Breda. He also helped to convict wife-killer Jason Rohde and the trio of murderers and rapists involved in the death of Stellenbosch University student Hannah Cornelius.
Hoffman joined the ranks in 2005. In 2008, he was promoted to detective in Somerset West, until he was transferred to Stellenbosch in 2013. He joined the AGU when it was established in 2018.