Baron no murder suspect - cops

2005-11-09 22:36

Tisha Steyn

George - Police have denied that an 18-year-old matric pupil has been arrested in connection with the death of Jessica Wheeler, 18.

Captain Eddie Cronjé denied on Wednesday that Baron Karl-Martin Ritter von Felbingen, only son of Reshada Ritter von Felbingen, 42, of Knysna, was in any way connected with Wheeler's death.

Karl-Martin has been entitled to use the title of baron since he turned 18.

Wheeler's body was found in the yard of St George's Anglican Church in Main Street, Knysna, on October 14.

According to the post-mortem, she had been sodomised before she suffocated from the soil in her mouth and throat.

Karl-Martin said he arrived home in Clyde Road, Knysna, about 11:30 on Tuesday after writing the home economics exam at Knysna High School.

His cousin, Elmar de Beer, 22, who was visiting, wanted to know what he was doing there and "why aren't you in jail".

Cops have questioned some people

According to De Beer, several of Karl-Martin's worried friends had been calling to find out what was going on.

They had heard that police had arrested him at school, thrown him into the back of a van, and raced away with him.

Cronjé repeated that nobody had been arrested in connection with the murder.

Several people had been taken in for questioning and some of them had provided blood samples for forensic testing.

Karl-Martin had never been questioned, and neither were any blood samples taken from him, said Cronjé.

Ritter von Felbingen was upset about the malicious rumours that were being spread about her son being arrested in connection with the murder.

The latest rumours had spread as far afield as Cape Town.

Ritter von Felbingen said: "I've had a very difficult year and I don't have energy for this type of thing."

Her husband, Martin, had died "under strange circumstances" in a car accident along Knysna Road on October 27.

"Karl and his father were very close. His dad had promised him a BMW E46 M3 for his 18th birthday.

"Martin planned to buy himself a Nissan 350Z. I wanted to keep Martin's promise, but Karl decided he would rather have the Nissan his dad had wanted to buy."

Apparently the registration number, "Rich Kid", also was turning heads in Knysna.

Annelise Opperman, who has been teaching Karl-Martin for the past five years, said he was an ordinary young man who was well-liked among his peers and teachers.

'Have nothing to hide'

He was also a good rugby player and had been named flyhalf for a junior national team, she said.

"He also doesn't take the title of baron, to which he has been entitled since he turned 18, to his head."

Ritter von Felbingen said: "We have nothing to hide. I don't know how people who spread these lies can live with themselves.

"Maybe they are jealous of him. Maybe the person who murdered Jessica is spreading these rumours."

Karl-Martin said: "I knew Jessica only from seeing her at school. We were never friends."

- Die Burger