Two guilty of gruesome farm murder

Six years after the gruesome murder of Giel Botma (79) and his 80-year-old wife Sarie, two men were found guilty of the crime last Friday.The elderly couple was brutally attacked on their farm near Koës in February 2018. Giel was beaten and shot in the mouth with his own rifle. Sarie endured immense suffering and fear in her last moments when one of the perpetrators raped her before she was strangled with her own shoelaces.Julius Frederick ‘Lemmy’ Arndt and Andries Afrikaner were found guilty of two charges of murder and one charge of rape, burglary, conspiracy and theft. A third accused, Johannes Marcellinus Christiaan, was found not guilty on all charges and was acquitted.ArrestsThe Botma couple's bodies were found in their farmhouse hours after their murder. Sarie's body was discovered in the bathroom after the door was kicked down. The police discovered three sets of footprints at the scene and followed them. One set led authorities to Afrikaner's home.Meanwhile, the police received information that the deceased's vehicle was seen driving in the direction of Aranos. It was later found in the possession of Arndt, and he was arrested.Arndt took to the witness stand during the trial and said he and Afrikaner entered the house because it was dark and quiet and they thought they would be able to steal something. The two men apparently started looking for the keys to a safe they saw in the house. He further testified that later he did not see or hear Afrikaner and therefore took the keys to the vehicle and drove off. He denied any knowledge or involvement in the murders and claimed that he did not see either of the deceased that night.Damning DNADespite this, Sarie's DNA was found on Arndt's underwear during forensic testing. His DNA was also found under her fingernails."This clearly proves that the deceased and [Arndt] were very close to each other during the time of the incident," the court ruling read.Afrikaner did not provide a plea, but was found in possession of some of the couple's property after his arrest. Afrikaner was also found guilty of rape. "While [Afrikaner's] DNA was not linked to that of the deceased, he was present at all times during the commission of the crimes. He was present while the deceased was raped and did nothing to distance himself from [Arndt's] actions. This makes him a willing participant in the crimes," Judge Dinnah Usiku found.Benefit of the doubtIn her ruling, Usiku pointed out that Christiaan provided an explanation to the court. He also made a confession to a magistrate after his arrest on 3 February 2018. He did not deny being at the crime scene, but claimed he left after seeing the other two men enter the farmhouse through a window. "He indeed saw a crime being committed and did nothing to stop it or report it to the authorities. However, there appears to be no other evidence linking him to the commission of the offences,” the judge said. “I am of the opinion that [Christian's] explanation could possibly be true, therefore he is entitled to the benefit of the doubt. As a result, he is acquitted of all the charges against him and is therefore released.”

Two guilty of gruesome farm murder

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

Please login to leave a comment

Two guilty of gruesome farm murder

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

Please login to leave a comment

Login