Update: Alleged Pitts Avenue murderers denied bail
Both suspects were out on bail.
The bail application of the two suspects in the murders of David, 74, and Vera, 71, Gaunt in Pitts Avenue on 26 April, has been denied this past Tuesday (12 July).
Initial article: Elderly couple found murdered
Smart detective work by Warrant Officer AR Odendaal led to the two accused’s arrest on 3 June. Odendaal managed to establish the number of the sim card in one of the suspects’ phones used at the crime scene. Through cellphone-mast triangulation he traced the phone to an address in Meadowlands.
When he visited the address the suspect, 26, was not there but on his second attempt he arrested the suspect at the address. The keys to the deceased’s vehicles were found in his room as well as a Correctional Services card, which indicated that he was on parole. He allegedly murdered the Gaunt couple after being on parole for only two months. He had served a lengthy sentence of 10 years for aggravated robbery before being released.
The suspect then took Odendaal to an address in Mercy Park where the second suspect, 24, was arrested. The suspects then took Odendaal to the gold and diamond jewellery store where they had sold the stolen jewels. Both suspects’ fingerprints were also positively connected to fingerprints on the deceased’s two vehicles. It was found that the second suspect was arrested for theft after he allegedly had committed the Pitts Avenue murders.
In his opposition to the bail application Odendaal cited four reasons. According to him the accused are a danger to the public, taking into account that one was out on bail and the other committed a crime even after allegedly committing the murders. Secondly he said there was a high possibility that they would abscond trial since neither had fixed addresses. He also feared they would interfere with state witnesses and finally argued that there is a high probability that the accused would undermine the functionality of the law and bail system.
The two accused face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. They allegedly stabbed their victims, choked them with wires and suffocated them with plastic bags before ransacking the house.
Their trial has been postponed pending further investigation and referred to the High Court.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
Also Read:
Double murder update: Couple’s bodies had cigarette burns
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