NATIONAL NEWS - A ballistics expert in the De Zalze murder case has cast a major shadow of doubt over part of the accused Henri van Breda’s plea statement.
Van Breda‚ the triple axe murder accused‚ claimed in his plea statement that after a scuffle with an intruder who laughed while slaughtering his family with an axe‚ he (Van Breda) had thrown the axe down the stairs after managing to grab it from the alleged attacker.
On Monday in the Cape Town High Court‚ however‚ Captain Candice Brown‚ a ballistics expert from the SAPS‚ said that an axe being thrown down the stairs appeared “possible but highly unlikely”.
Brown‚ testifying for the state‚ took the court through three impact and damage marks that were found on the walls inside 12 Goske Street at the luxury De Zalze estate in Stellenbosch where the horrific murders took place.
Van Breda’s parents‚ Teresa and Martin‚ and his brother Rudi‚ lost their lives while his sister‚ Marli‚ clung to life for at least three hours and survived the ordeal.
Brown‚ who is based at the Plattekloof Laboratory‚ told the court how‚ on 27 January 2015‚ she was called to the scene of the murders where she was asked to do a crime scene examination after marks were found on the wall‚ and to take “scene photography” too in preparation for an analysis.
