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Toddler slept with dead mom
23/10/2006 23:42 - (SA)
Leila Magnus, Beeld
Pretoria - A man who is alleged to have beaten his wife to death with a spade, put his three-year-old son on the bed next to the corpse so that the child would fall asleep, a court has been told.
Rolf Dieter Meier testified on Monday in Pretoria High Court that he had wrapped the body of his wife, Alison, in a duvet because he did not want his son to see his mother "like that" (covered in blood).
The toddler was accustomed to sleeping between his parents and later went to lie down on the bed next to his mother's body.
After his son had fallen asleep, Meier hid the body under the bed in the spare room.
Meier told for the first time about April 2004 when his wife was murdered in their home in Villieria, Pretoria.
Meier denied killing her and claimed Alex Talimo, a drug dealer, had murdered her because he was owed money.
Meier said he had used about R30 000 of drugs every month. He paid for his addiction from the couple's business enterprises and about R2m they had won at a casino.
He added that his wife knew about his addiction.
He said that after his son had gone to a park with the domestic worker the next morning, he had gone to Talimo's flat to get revenge.
Voice broke during evidence
But he did not elaborate about what he planned or whether he was armed. He did say he had used drugs with Talimo.
Meier's voice broke twice while he was testifying.
He said he knew when he found his wife's body that he had to phone the police, but he was scared they would suspect him because he had handled the corpse.
He claimed he was also still under the influence of drugs and thought the police would not believe his version.
Meier said Talimo had lied to the court when testifying.
Talimo said he had not seen Meier the day after the murder and that he was surprised when the man was arrested.
The case is proceeding.
- Beeld
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