Cape Town: The trial of the man accused of murdering show-jumper Meghan Cremer began this morning in the Western Cape High Court.
Jeremy Sias is facing charges of robbery with aggravated circumstances, murder, defeating the ends of justice and theft.
According to court papers, his co-accused, Charles Daniels and Shiraaj Jaftha, are charged separately in the magistrate’s court, for charges relating to the theft of a motor vehicle.
The State will argue Sias strangled Cremer on August 3, 2019, and he took her personal belongings, including money, cellphones, her bag and car.
Sias, according to the State, had planned the murder and defeated the ends of justice by intending to destroy her iPad and cellphone by throwing it into a toilet. Sias used Cremer’s bank card without her permission.
According to court papers, Sias had entered Cremer’s home at Rietvlei farm at 5pm. He had assaulted and strangled her. He had placed her body inside the boot of her car and had taken some of her belongings.
He had then driven around looking for a place to dispose of the body. He had dumped it at Olieboom Road in Philippi which is farmland.
Sias is believed to have used Cremer’s bank card at several ATMs between August 3 and August 5, 2019.
The State is set to prove Sias had approached Daniels to aid him in selling Cremer’s car and hiding it from police.
They had allegedly acquired Jaftha’s assistance to look for a potential buyer but they could not produce documents for the vehicle.
Cremer’s body was discovered on August 8, 2019 with a ribbon tied around her neck. Her hands and feet were bound.
A list of 35 witnesses are expected to take the stand, among them an FNB representative, as well as residents from Egoli and Philippi, the police, traffic department and pathologists.