It has been 17 months since the brutal axe attack on the Van Breda family in South Africa. In that attack, Martin, 54, and Teresa Van Breda, 55, and their eldest son Rudi, 22, were killed, while daughter Marli, 16, was critically injured and the second Van Breda son, Henri, 21, survived the incident with minor injuries.
Back in January, The Inquisitr reported that a year had gone by with no arrests for the brutal crime. However, all along evidence did seem point to one particular person — Henri Van Breda . There were several reasons for this, but authorities held back at the time to ensure that when the case finally came before the courts, there would be binding and strong evidence against the accused.
In June, Henri handed himself in at the Stellenbosch police station after they informed his advocate, Pieter Botha, of his upcoming arrest. He was charged and spent that night behind bars. After a court appearance on June 14, Henri was released on bail of R100,000 ($6,900).
#Bylmoorde : Henri van Breda slaap in selle, verskyn vandag in hof op 3 aanklagte van moord. https://t.co/clVH9C0XkZ pic.twitter.com/8lvIhJ9dvL
— Netwerk24 (@Netwerk24) June 14, 2016
According to a report by News24 , the reasons why Henri is now officially a suspect in the brutal axe murder of his family are several. On the night of the murder, raised voices were heard coming from the Van Breda family’s home in De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate. The estate has top security, and there were no intruders reported at the time of the killings.
When police investigated Henri’s phone, they discovered he had called his girlfriend after the killings before performing a Google search for emergency numbers at 04:26 on Tuesday, January 27, 2015. However, it was three hours later that Henri finally called emergency services to report the incident.
Police had recovered an axe from the Van Breda home, believed to have been used in the brutal attack, along with a kitchen knife, part of a set belonging to the family.
While Martin, Teresa, and Rudi died of their wounds in the attack and Marli was critically injured, Henri van Breda only sustained superficial injuries, including knife wounds. According to expert medical opinion, those wounds were self-inflicted.
When police arrived at the scene, Henri was found dressed in sleeping shorts and white socks. When authorities ran a DNA analysis of blood found on Henri and his clothing, the DNA was a match for his mother, father, and brother.
Henri also stands accused of having tampered with the crime scene and of providing false information to the police at the time of the murders.
Marli, the youngest member of the family, survived the brutal axe attack but suffered brain damage and has retrograde amnesia. Her name is on the list of 114 possible witnesses who could testify against Henri.
Marli van Breda named as a potential witness against her brother Henri, who is accused of slaying his family. https://t.co/SdYWqaKf0v
— The West Australian (@westaustralian) July 6, 2016
Speaking of the upcoming murder case against Henri, a lawyer not involved in the matter said that the State should think carefully before allowing Marli Van Breda to testify against her brother. Ulrich Roux from BDK in Johannesburg, told Netwerk24 , that the defense is likely to target Marli’s retrograde amnesia .
“The big question is whether she would regain her memory, and that would cast doubt on her testimony. How can she be sure of what happened that night?” Roux said.
However, according to Roux, the prosecution will not have to rely heavily on Marli’s testimony as there was sufficient other evidence pointing to Henri’s guilt.
“DNA test will have to connect the murder weapon to the accused without any reasonable doubt and the crime scene has to be properly analyzed.”
Roux went on to say the call Henri made to his girlfriend directly after the murders will be an important piece of the puzzle. “It could be damning.”
Roux says the prosecution will likely shine the spotlight on Henri’s alleged drug abuse to cast doubt on his version of events that night.
New post: ” Marli van Breda may be called as a witness in her brother Henri’s murder trial in South Africa … https://t.co/UnzpSxMhFL
— Lee Levy (@thekingleelevy) July 6, 2016
While officials have the DNA evidence from Henri’s clothing and the evidence from his phone, according to Roux the weak spot in State’s case against the youngest son is the lack of direct evidence.
“It is similar to the recent Oscar Pistorius case. Only the accused can tell us what really happened,” Roux said.
“But that doesn’t mean they don’t have a case. If circumstantial evidence is presented properly and the DNA tests can link the accused to the crime, the lack of direct evidence won’t have a great influence on the case. We will just have to wait and see.”
As reported by The Inquisitr , Pistorius recently faced sentencing for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp . The former Paralympic received a sentence of six years behind bars.
[Photo via Facebook]
