Is it murder or suicide? Months after the body of Nico Botha 60, boerbok-farmer of Britstown, was dug up, pathologist Dr Denise Lourens still doesn't know whether he was murdered or committed suicide: two shots were fired;
Trial resumes at De Aar, South Africa -- The State is going through considerable trouble trying to prove that widow Koekie, 64, murdered him:
DE AAR. South Africa– Months after the body of well-known Boerbok breeder Nico Botha (60)'s body was dug up, the State pathologist still cannot determine whether he was murdered or whether he committed suicide. The State is pulling out all the stops to try and prove that widow Koekie Botha killed him with two shots from a revolver. Initially his death in July 2010 was ruled a suicide. This week the 'murder-trial' of the widow resumed in the De Aar magistrate's court. Some family members have already testified on behalf of the State about the circumstances surrounding Botha's mystery-death on the farm Kareehoek near Britstown. On August 12 2014 testimony was heard by ballistics-expert warrantófficer Hermanus Dicks. He denied during cross-examination by defence counsel Advocate Johan van Niekerk, that he was 'throwing jackal-turns' during his cross-examination. Dicks testified that two shots were fired but that one could not have been a 'partial shot' when the weapon's barrel 's escaped gases would have made a black mark against the entry wound, depending on the distance from which the shot was fired. When fired from a longer distance the entry wound shows a 'fanshaped' burnmark. Dicks testified that he could not determine from which of the cylinders the projectiles were shot first. "If a person places the weapon against the first shot and fires again, there would have been blood on the front and sides of the revolver-barrel. Moreover the hand firing the weapon would have been spattered with blood unless the person wore gloves. Pathologist Denise Lourens, patoloog testified that she and other experts examining Mr Botha's skull, could not establish which of the two shots were fired first -- and thus could not say for certain whether Mr Botha had committed suicide, or whether he had been murdered. lik nie dadelik sy bewussyn verloor nie, en kon steeds beweeg, wat bloedmerke veroorsaak het.
Adv. Adele van Heerden verskyn namens die staat voor regter Violet Phatsoane.
http://www.volksblad.com/nuus/2014-08-12-patoloog-kan-nog-nie-s-oor-boer-se-dood
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