Wife was planning to divorce alleged family murderer, court hears

“How can you be trusted when out on bail if you didn’t play open cards from the beginning?” Magistrate Buks du Plessis told Du Preez

“It is not in the interest of justice that you be out on bail and therefore your bail has been denied.”

Du Preez’s mother Joan said, after bail was denied: “It is not my place to give my opinion on the decision and that’s all I can say.”

Divorce plans

The State told the court during the bail application that the couple had marital problems and that Thea was planning to divorce him.

The investigating officer’s affidavit was read out in court earlier, and in it, the officer said that Du Preez had told him that Nigerian and Lebanese druglords held him at gunpoint, gave him a gun, and forced him to kill his family after he refused to deliver drugs for them.

Du Preez told the officer that his daughter Carlia, 17, tried to stop him and pleaded “Nee, Pappa, nee” (No, daddy, no), and that’s why she was shot through her hand.

She was awake when he killed her.

His wife Thea, 43, had two gunshot wounds to the head, and his son Phillip, 14, had one. Two shots that he allegedly fired at Phillip missed, while the third hit him in the head.

‘There are too many unanswered questions’

When the officer later asked him why he did not go to the police when he was threatened by “druglords”, Du Preez said he did not trust the police.

Du Preez initially claimed the murders were committed by robbers.

Du Plessis lambasted Du Preez for apparently changing his version of events.

“One would have expected that when you find yourself in circumstances where you have to eliminate your own blood family, you would have told police the entire version at the first chance.

“You didn’t do that. The fact that you do not trust police is not applicable.

“First you said it was robbers. When you went back to house it was Nigerians. Next day it was Lebanese all of a sudden.”

Du Plessis told the Du Preez that he did not mention in his affidavit that he was forced to murder his family.

“There are too many unanswered questions,” the magistrate said.

Theo du Preez, family of Thea, said outside court: “I want to hit Fanie. What pathetic affidavit he gave in. I’m so glad he did not get bail.”

The matter was postponed to January 26 for further investigations and to set a date for the high court.