Man killed over 'bad' cooking

2007-10-15 22:38

Hilda Fourie

Pretoria - A woman has been convicted of murder in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court, after stabbing her life partner to death with a knife because he hadn't prepared her egg to her taste.

Magistrate Kallie Bosch ruled on Monday that Hendrika Cecilia Coetzee, 51, of Elandspoort, west of Pretoria had murdered Gavin James.

Coetzee stabbed James, a paraplegic, in the heart with a knife at about 22:15 on April 2 2005.

When Daniël Nel, who was a lodger in their home, gave evidence, his version of that night's events was accepted by Bosch, who rejected Coetzee's testimony.

Alcohol played a role

Nel testified earlier that James had woken up Coetzee after preparing food for her.

According to Nel's testimony, the egg was either too hard or too soft, he couldn't remember which.

"She asked him why her egg hadn't been cooked properly," Bosch summarised Nel's evidence.

"The accused raised her voice when talking to the deceased. He told her not to shout at him.

"She stabbed him with the same knife she had used to eat her food earlier."

Nel pulled the knife out of James's chest and tried to get him out of the house. He asked Coetzee to help, because his one leg was amputated below the knee and he had to hop around on the other one.

Magistrate Bosch said alcohol played an important role on the day in question.

James and Nel had apparently drank a quarter bottle of whisky that afternoon. Coetzee had been drinking beer.

Coetzee testified earlier that she had not seen who had stabbed James.

The lounge and kitchen where the incident took place consisted of one small room.

"She couldn't have been that much under the influence, because she remembered after the incident where the telephone was, to make a phone call," Bosch said.

"There was an argument, and a scuffle. The accused stabbed the deceased in the chest, once."

The case was postponed until next month for a pre-sentencing report.

- Beeld