Satanic Barkley East double-murderer of frail farm-couple David and Rachel de Villiers 86 wrote “666 ” in victims’ blood with his finger…
Grahamstown court journalist Ilse Krige reports that the killer of 86-year-old Afrikaner couple David de Villiers and Rachel de Villiers was found guilty on June 12 2014 – and sentenced to a lifetime in prison for the cruel double-murder.
— Mr David de Villiers and his wife were both stabbed to death last year on their farm Broadlands in the Barkley East district by the ‘frenzied’ knifeman Thulane Mkhentsane, 23. The court heard that knifeman Mkhentsane had invaded the De Villiers homestead and had frantically, repeatedly stabbed the 86-year-old Mr De Villiers, who was ill in bed.
Mr De Villiers was too ill to get out of bed to get money from their safe – and when his wife Ralie, also 86, was unable to find the safe-keys, he also stabbed her to death: in the neck and in her heart. The couple’s physically-disabled son David Junior, 53 was also badly injured when Mkhentsane stabbed him in the neck.
This was not the first time the killer had invaded the De Villiers farm: he had also stolen a handgun during a breakin in 2011. And his palm-print found on this stolen weapon also helped convict him for his heinous crimes.
The man had slit the De Villiers’ son throat and nearly severed it, according to court testimony. The couple’s daughter, medical Dr Christine Olivier rushed to the farm after David Junior was able to alert her by phone despite his severe injuries.
She came across the gruesome scene and alerted the police. It was testified in court that Mrs Olivier had actually seen the killer on the erf outside the homestead but didn’t realize he had just murdered her parents.
The medical doctor was able to save her brother’s life by stabilising him and stopping the bleeding before he was rushed to Bloemfontein hospital by helicopter medevac.
The young black knifeman admitted guilt to five charges but he was convicted on all seven charges against him – including double-murder, attempted murder and possession of an illegal firearm.
The evidence against him was overwhelming: besides his writing ‘666 ‘ in his victims’ blood inside the homestead with his finger, he had also left a palm-print on a gun he had stolen from the De Villiers home during a 2011 breakin.
He was captured in Lesotho with this stolen weapon after he had carried out an armed robbery with it, said state prosecutor Dale Robinson.
Mkentsane testified that he ‘wanted to worship the devil by writing ‘666’ on the wall, using the De Villiers’ couple’s blood.
Grahamstown judge Judith Robertson said the ‘extreme cruelty and unneccessary violence with which the elderly couple was murdered, was horrific and described the way in which Mkhentsane had written the satanic number 666 with his victims’ blood as “extremely sadistic’. Dr Olivier attended the trial in Grahamstown.
She commented after the trial that they are ‘relieved that it’s all over.
“The life-sentence is an excellent reflection of the horrific nature of the crimes.
“As a family we completely dismissed Mkhentane’s excuse submitted to the court because we do not believe he was sincere.’
South Africa Today – South Africa News
