GQEBERHA – The murder trial of Gqeberha businessman Arnold Terblanche continued in the Gqeberha High Court on today, 16 March, with Warrant Officer Ramano van Rhyners facing cross-examination from the defence after taking the stand.
Terblanche is accused of orchestrating the murder of his estranged wife, Vicki Terblanche, in 2021. He faces a minimum life imprisonment sentence for his involvement.
He has pleaded not guilty to all six charges he faces.
The body of Vicki, who was murdered on 18 October 2021, was found buried in a shallow grave in Greenbushes, Gqeberha. She had been given an overdose of drugs and suffocated with a pillow.
The focal point of Monday’s cross-examination was the residence at Westview Villas, Gqeberha, where Reinhardt Leach and Vicki resided before her death. Images taken by van Rhyner and another police member were presented to the court.
Van Rhyners admitted that he took photographs of the residence during the evening of 23 October 2021, when questioned by the defence attorney, Peter Dauberman. This was after Vicki had been falsely reported missing by Leach to the police on 21 October 2021.
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At the time, the Leach and Vicki were in a romantic relationship.
During the court proceedings, various drugs were shown to have been found around the house, mainly in Vicki and Arnold’s son’s bedroom. Images presented to the court showed a tik pipe, an unknown pill.
Dauberman noted that the pillows on the bed had been moved between the two occasions when photographs were taken of the son’s room at the Westview Villas residence.
Dauberman further put it to the court that the state Vicki was allegedly suffocated on her son’s bed, and that she screamed and resisted. However, Dauberman argued that the images of the bed in the son’s room did not reflect evidence of a struggle.
Additionally, during the cross-examination, a notepad found in the house became a point of contention. Dauberman requested to read the contents of the notepad.
Additionally, during the cross-examination, a notepad was found in the images. Dauberman requested to read the contents of the notepad.
However, the notepad was not readily available as it had DNA evidence and had been sent to a forensic laboratory in Gqeberha, and is now considered a biological exhibit.
Prosecutor Marius Stander stated that the notepad will be retrieved from the said laboratory.
The matter was remanded to Tuesday, 17 March, for continuation of the trial.
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