A Cape Town man accused of killing and dismembering a teenage girl will go on trial in November.
|||Cape Town - A Cape Town man accused of killing and dismembering a teenage girl will go on trial in the Western Cape High Court in November.
Johannes Christiaan de Jager, 48, heard at his pre-trial conference on Friday morning that the State was ready to proceed with its case.
Romay van Rooyen, for the State, said the trial was to have started on October 7 but had changed to November 11, because the first date was not available.
High Court Judge Nape Dolamo heard that De Jager's legal team had received nearly all the documents it needed and would be ready by November.
He would remain in custody until the trial.
De Jager, dressed in a tracksuit, seemed irritated by a number of photographers around him before the court was in session and leaned in closer to his lawyer Sakkie Martins.
De Jager allegedly murdered 16-year-old Charmaine Mare in January, while staying at her home in Kraaifontein, in Cape Town's northern suburbs. At the time Mare's mother and other family members were away on a sea cruise.
He also allegedly raped and murdered a prostitute, Hiltina Alexander, in May 2008.
De Jager faces charges of murder, aggravated robbery, defeating the ends of justice, dismembering a corpse, and fraud.
He allegedly buried Mare's partially-burned torso in open ground in Kraaifontein, and hid her arms and legs in a carton in the garage of her home. He then allegedly falsely reported her missing to police.
De Jager has already appeared in the Atlantis District Court for Alexander's murder. The two cases have been combined.
The court heard on Monday that De Jager had a list of defence witnesses he intended calling. This list would be forwarded to his advocate for subpoena purposes. - Sapa