'Your dad killed your mom'
2008-07-11 08:54
Virginia Keppler
Pretoria - Only hours after a man placed a rose on his murdered partner's coffin during her cremation service, he and two other suspects were arrested for her gruesome murder.
Pieter Brooklyn Moon, 39, from Waverley in Pretoria, allegedly hired three people, including a sangoma from Soshanguve, to murder Antoinette Botha, 35.
He would apparently receive R2m in life insurance, which he had taken out on Botha's life.
One of the suspects apparently received R2 000 for his services.
Botha was eight months pregnant with the couple's second son when she was killed in her bedroom by someone who had bashed her head with a brick.
Her murderers hid her body under several duvets on her bed. The attackers then fled in her car and it was found the same evening in Soshanguve with the keys in the ignition.
Moon, who along with his neighbour found Botha's body in their house, cried afterwards and told how he would miss her.
'Good detective work'
He was arrested on Thursday along with a 21-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman from Soshanguve.
Police spokesperson Inspector Klaas van der Kooi, said three suspects were charged with murder and theft.
"The breakthrough in the case came thanks to good detective work by members of the Villieria police station's investigating team".
Moon's sisters, Miemsie Moon and Tessa Keppler, called Beeld to inform the paper of the arrest.
"He admitted everything in a statement to police," said Miemsie.
"He'd better hope that I never get my hands on him because I will strangle him myself and I don't think the Lord will punish me," said an upset Miemsie.
"I can't believe that he put a rose on her coffin only that morning, crying while I held him and comforted him, all the while knowing he was responsible for her death".
'What do I tell their child?'
"All of that for R2m. I want people to know he killed his partner and child," said Keppler.
She said Botha's ashes would be taken next week to her parents in Zimbabwe.
"Her parents went back to Zimbabwe after the cremation service. They are just as shocked to hear what Pieter has done," said Keppler.
She said Botha and Moon's son Murelle, 2, has been placed in her care. "What do I tell him one day? Your dad killed you mom".
Van der Kooi said police expected to arrest another person.
- Beeld