Cape Town - Police initially believed Mitchells Plain teenager Nadine Esterhuizen was slaughtered in a satanic ritual.
But they changed their minds after pathologists found the girl’s wounds to be too brutal and severe, saying the attacker showed extreme anger and aggression.
Nadine’s girlfriend, Corrine Jackson, 20 has been arrested for her murder, and on Wednesday continued her bail application in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate's Court.
Investigating officer Detective Jackwin Paulse, stationed at the Lentegeur Police Station Serious and Violent Crimes Unit, took the witness stand and shocked the court when he explained that the dozen stab wounds to Nadine’s body were done with brute force.
Read:
Alleged satanic killer 'had a history of violence'
Jackson is accused of murdering her 18-year-old girlfriend on September 27 in Colorado Park, at a residence previously rented by the victim’s sister.
She is also facing a charge of assault and contravening a protection order taken out by Nadine in August.
Nadine was in matric at Athlone High School.
Paulse says when he arrived at the scene, police had to force open the toilet door where Jackson was hiding in the shower, armed with a knife and dagger.
He says the house was splattered with fresh blood.
“When you come in the front door, there was blood, blood splatter, hand prints on the wall, the whole house was full of blood,” he said.
Also read:
He said police thought it was a satanic ritual after finding a cup filled with blood at the scene.
“There were two cuts to (Nadine’s) throat, two defence wounds to the hands and on the side of the wrist, and two in the mouth, and plus-minus five in the head and one in the abdomen.
“The laceration behind the neck (which was 20cm long and 4cm deep), looked like she wanted to cut (Nadine’s) head off.
“I wanted to know if it (the crime) was satanic because of the blood, (but) the pathologist said this (murder) was done with anger, there was a lot of force.
“They said the cup had water in it so it must have been when someone drank it and the blood mixed with water.”
The hearing will continue on 27 November.