'Murder not planned'

2001-12-06 20:53

Jackie Pienaar

Cape Town - The amateurish way in which former first lady Marike de Klerk was murdered indicates that the murder was not premeditated, believes an expert in the field of criminology, Irma Labuschagne.

"When you plan to murder someone, you take a 'real' knife with you," she says.

She believes the element of surprise led to "things getting terribly out of hand".

Labuschagne emphasises she can only guess what happened. And her guess is that the murderer did not enter the premises with the aim to kill.

"He wanted to steal. I have a vague feeling that he did not expect her to be home. She was often away. And in a terrible moment it became a gruesome murder."

It is possible that De Klerk and her murderer did not know each other, but they might have "recognised" each other. If the murderer is a security guard, she says, De Klerk could have recognised his uniform or himself.

Labuschagne says she believes the killer could have entered De Klerk's apartment just like the security guard who found her body - through the balcony door to her bedroom, which was unlocked.

In some cases robbers take chances at places which seem protected. "People think they have high fences and then leave their doors open," she adds.

Fervent attempt to silence her?

And when the robber got the "awful" surprise that De Klerk was home, he perhaps thought she wanted to scream. "Maybe he wanted to silence her with the blows to the face."

Regarding the violent nature of the murder, Labuschagne says people who break into houses, for whatever reason, can in any event not be trusted.

"A robber does not have respect for the people he steals from or for the things he takes. In this case he was surprised."

And even murderers get a fright, she says, except if the murder is planned or if it is a professional hit. "Your average criminal is human. If something unexpected happens, adrenaline makes one stronger.

"Force was definitely used against her. Did it happen because he got a big fright? Was it a fervent attempt to silence her? Or was it an absolute effort to kill her in case she recognised him?

"And when you want to kill someone and you don't have a deadly weapon, you would obviously opt for strangulation."

If De Klerk was raped or sexually molested before or after her death - which does not seem to be the case at this stage - it would put things in another perspective, Labuschagne says.

"Then an even worse element is involved: sadism. This type of murderer does not steal. And if he isn't caught, he will do it again."

- Die Burger