AS IT HAPPENED: #VanBreda defence witnesses 'mere speculation'
2018-02-12 15:00Murder-accused Henri van Breda is facing closing arguments in the Western Cape High Court.
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Jansen interviewed family, friends and "key figures with insight"."
They paint a picture of parents who had been perplexed with their difficult 'loner' child," said Jansen, adding that Henri's drug addiction apparently led to "great discord" in the house and he was apparently angry at his parents who favoured his brother, Rudi, over him.
Journalist Julian Jansen was one of the first journalists on the scene and has been covering the case for Rapport.
His book, The De Zalze Murders, "tells the story behind the newspaper headlines", offering insights that have not yet been publicly heard and highlighting the human side of the tragedy.
"The Van Bredas of Stellenbosch were apparently the perfect family - rich, successful and popular. In the luxurious De Zalze estate they have a dream life. And then everything changes in an instant," he said.
On his final day in the witness stand, neurologist Dr James Butler said it was possible that Van Breda had committed the murders before suffering an epileptic seizure, which could explain why there was a two-hour-and-40-minute lapse before he phoned emergency services.
During cross-examination, Butler agreed that it was more probable that the possibly self-inflicted injuries would have occurred after the murders, but before the seizure and postictal state (recovery period after a seizure).
Marli van Breda asks not to be made available to brother's defence team, court hears
Marli van Breda has indicated to the State that she would not want to be made available to the defence, the Western Cape High Court heard
Van Breda trial: What the State witnesses said
Henri van Breda claimed that after a fight with the axe-wielding intruder, who was also armed with a knife, the man escaped.Here is a wrap of the State’s case.
Desai has been a judge for more than 20 years and was born in Salt River, Cape Town.
Desai was shortlisted for the position of Public Protector
which went to Busisiwe Mkhwebane
Judge Desai's notable cases:
Murder trial of Najwa Petersen, who was handed a 28-year prison sentence in 2009 for her role in the murder of her husband, music legend Taliep Petersen.
Trial of 14-year-old Valencia Farmer's killers. She was raped and stabbed 53 times in 1999.
Desai led the post mortem investigation after former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronjé died in an airplane crash in 2002.
