|
'Jealous' man shoots neighbour
25/07/2008 09:02 - (SA)
Henry Cloete
Bloemfontein - Her light-blue dressing gown still blows in the wind on the washing line, only metres from where Anna-Marie O'Halloran, 41, stood when she was shot dead.
O'Halloran was killed in Reddersburg on Wednesday night, presumably by her 52-year-old neighbour.
He allegedly shot her once in the neck with a 7.65mm pistol and then tried to take his own life. He wounded himself in the chin.
The two of them apparently often talked over the wall between the two properties. O'Halloran would stand on a box. Her body was found next to it. Police found the wounded neighbour in his yard.
It is suspected that jealousy was the motive.
Town in shock
The news of the murder shocked the Free State town on Thursday.
Stunned family members and friends gathered at the nearby house of O'Halloran's mother, Rina Pretorius, to comfort one another.
"I still can't believe it. One can't describe the feeling," Pretorius said on Thursday. "He [the neighbour] was at my house on Monday morning, doing a paint job. He was such a gentle person".
The man was known about town as an electrician and general handyman.
"She didn't want to have a relationship with him. That must be why he did it," said Pretorius. She denied earlier allegations of a love triangle and said these were nonsense.
O'Halloran lived with daughter Chandré, 13, and son Malcolm, 10.
Another daughter, Chantal, 20, lives in Bloemfontein and is a student at the University of the Free State. When she heard the news on Wednesday evening, she immediately drove to her grandmother's house.
"She was always willing to help other people," the crying daughter said of her murdered mother.
Other family members quickly confirmed that O'Halloran was dedicated to helping others.
O'Halloran's sister, Renette van der Vyver, said her sister's life was far from over. "We spoke to her on the phone on Monday night for nearly an hour. But we can't do anything about this - we will never get her back."
Worked for police
Inspector Lente Coetzee, head of crime intelligence at the local police station, said O'Halloran had worked as a clerk in his office for eight years.
"This is a small place. We were all very close to one another. It is terrible for us."
Even a petrol attendant at a nearby fuel station could not hide his shock.
"She was a terribly friendly woman. Both of them were very friendly".
O'Halloran divorced her husband about three years ago. The 52-year-old neighbour's wife died years ago from cancer.
He was taken to Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein on Wednesday night where he was treated for the gunshot wound to his chin.
Police spokesperson Inspector Tseko Mokgahle said a court date would be set as soon as he was released from hospital. He will be charged with murder.
- Volksblad
|
News
