South African Van Breda faces trial over killing of his family

Henri van Breda (centre) arriving with his lawyer Lorinda van Niekerk (left) at the Western Cape High Court on March 27, 2017 for the start of his trial for allegedly killing his two parents, brother, and wounding his sister, with an axe, in their luxury home, in Cape Town. PHOTO | RODGER BOSCH | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Police failed to arrest anyone for the grisly killings until Henri van Breda handed himself in.
  • Van Breda is reported to have killed his brother Rudi and parents Martin and Teresa and left his sister Marli struggling with horrible injuries.

CAPE TOWN

In a case that has gripped South Africa, the 22-year-old scion of a wealthy family goes on trial on Monday, accused of slaughtering his relatives in a frenzied axe attack.

The case has also made headlines globally, as police failed to arrest anyone for the grisly killings until Henri van Breda handed himself in.

Van Breda is reported to have killed his brother Rudi and parents Martin and Teresa and left his sister Marli struggling with horrible injuries.

The events took place at the family’s luxury home at an exclusive golf estate in Stellenbosch outside Cape Town, where they lived after returning from several years in Australia. The family’s fortune is estimated at $16 million.

ATTEMPTED MURDER

Van Breda faces three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

Prosecutors are investigating what happened in the early hours of January 27, 2015.

According to media reports, Rudi, a 21-year-old engineering student, was found on a blood-soaked bed next to his father.

Both were killed by savage blows from the axe.

His mother was found with a gaping head wound on the bedroom’s balcony.

Marli, 18, suffered terrible brain, throat and neck injuries.

CALLED EMERGENCY SERVICES

Van Breda called the emergency services hours after the attack.

In a leaked tape of the call, he said his family members were “bleeding from the head” before he appeared to giggle briefly.

He himself had minor bruises and scratches, which experts say may have been self-inflicted.

Van Breda reportedly told detectives that a stranger was responsible for the attack in the high-security residential complex, while he hid in a bathroom.

Van Breda appeared in Western Cape High Court in Cape Town last month, when the state asked for more time to gather witness statements and prepare evidence.

Dressed in a suit, he appeared calm and expressionless during the hearing.

AWAITING TRIAL

He has been on $8,000 bail awaiting the trial while living with his girlfriend.

Marli van Breda was left in a coma after the attack and suffered memory loss, but she may give evidence during the trial.

Her legal representative, Louise Buikman, has said she was “well and progressing remarkably given the incident, her injuries and the ordeal that she has had to suffer”.

The trial, offering potentially dramatic details about inner life of an elite but apparently troubled family, has generated intense media interest.

LEGAL BATTLE

There is a continuing legal battle over whether it can be broadcast live on television.

Local reports suggested van Breda, had spent time in drug rehabilitation before the deaths. He was enrolled as a science undergraduate at the time of the events.

He handed himself in to a local police station 18 months after the attack, during which time the police had made no arrests.