Thelma Maritz broke down in tears after the two men accused of killing her son were acquitted in the Western Cape High Court.
|||Cape Town - Thelma Maritz says justice will be served - “even if it’s not on this earth” - after the two men accused of killing her son two years ago were acquitted in the Western Cape High Court.
Maritz broke down as court adjourned and Donovan Rich, 37, and his stepson, Abdullah Cassiem-Londt, 23, were freed, having being on trial for the murder of Trevor Maritz, 16, six days after his birthday on July 8, 2011.
He was stabbed to death in his family home in Eerste River during the school holidays.
Before presiding acting Judge Gayaat Salie-Samuels started reading her judgment, she addressed Maritz, Trevor’s mother.
Salie-Samuels told her that based on the evidence before court she had been an exceptional mother to Trevor.
She thanked Maritz for the time she spent coming to court. “And through you, we got to know him a little better,” she said, wishing Maritz well.
Summarising the evidence, Judge Salie-Samuels described how Cassiem-Londt had often slept over at Maritz’s Somerset Heights home in Kleinvlei while he was dating Maritz’s niece, Jade Smith, and how he had considered her a “mother figure”.
There appeared to be no forced entry into the house, and both men’s fingerprints were found in the house.
On the day he died, Maritz had been at work and unable to reach her son. After work she visited several places, including the local soccer field, looking for him.
She went home and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She peered through a window and noticed the television was on and the house was in a state of disarray. She called the police who broke in to find Trevor’s body in his bedroom.
They later found that four DVD players, jewellery, a pink GHD hair-straightener, reading glasses and a backpack were missing. The two men were arrested shortly afterwards. Rich was held in custody and Cassiem-Londt was granted bail of R500.
On Thursday they were acquitted on charges of murder and aggravated robbery. “After careful deliberation I find your version to be reasonably and possibly true,” said the judge.
She told the men: “Embrace your liberty,” and warned them she did not want to see them again in her courtroom or any other.
In the gallery, Trevor’s relatives and friends all wore black T-shirts with his photograph on the front and the words “Justice for our angel Trevor” on the back.
Cassiem-Londt said he felt “lighter” as he descended the court stairs.
But Trevor’s relatives were disappointed by the verdict.
A weeping Maritz said: “I’m very disappointed, I thought the judge would see through the lies and the witnesses that were prepped. This was supposed to be closure for me, but I still believe justice will be served - even if it might not be on this earth.”
natasha.prince@inl.co.za
Cape Argus