Africa-Press – South-Africa. The woman accused of hiring two hitmen to murder her parents and siblings, when she was just 16 years old, claimed she was coerced into making a confession.
The woman and the two alleged hitmen, who are cousins, appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.
All three accused, who cannot be named because they were minors at the time the crimes took place, pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder, one count of theft and one count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The State briefly led the evidence of the first police officer at the scene in Mmakau Village, in Brits, on 6 December 2016.
The State then announced it would be admitting confession statements made by all three accused.
The legal representatives for the accused told the court they would be challenging the admissibility of the confessions.
According to the first accused, one of the cousins, the confession was obtained in the absence of a legal representative, and he was not given an opportunity to consult with a lawyer beforehand.
On the other hand, the woman alleged that her legal rights were not explained and that she was coerced into confessing. She claimed that she was misled by the police officer who took her statement.
The other cousin claimed he was assaulted and then forced to confess to playing a role in the crime.
A trial within a trial will now be held for the court to determine the admissibility of the confession statements.
Crime
News24 previously reported the woman allegedly orchestrated the murder of her parents, her three-year-old brother and her 18-year-old sister.
Her sister was pregnant at the time.
She allegedly let the two hitmen into the house and handed them her father’s firearm.
The father was a police officer. The father was shot in the head and chest, while the mother was shot multiple times. The accused’s sister was shot in the head, while her brother suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.
The woman also suffered a gunshot wound, which the State said was done to cover up her involvement in the crime.
According to the indictment, the woman wanted to kill her parents because they were too strict, and she yearned for more freedom.
After the shooting, the two cousins were allegedly compensated by the woman.
The accused have also been charged with the theft of a cellphone, a vehicle and R2 000 in cash.
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