A smile through the tears
2005-07-26 08:21
Johannesburg - Shortly after 10:00 on Monday morning, Sharon Matthews, smiling shyly, arrived at the Johannesburg high court.
Less than five hours later, Matthews left the court again - this time her eyes were red from crying, but she was smiling broadly.
"We are ready for the court case. I must just remain strong for Leigh's sake. I can't give up hope now," a relaxed Matthews said on Monday morning shortly before the court case commenced.
A quiet breakfast
She and her husband, Rob, and daughter, Karen, 22, sat down to a quiet breakfast and coffee in the court's cafeteria shortly before the trial of their youngest daughter's murderer began.
"I'm only glad it's not this time last year," Matthews smiled bravely.
"I'm also glad we will at least have a court case and that our questions will be answered. Many parents who lose their children are not this lucky."
'Not angry with the Moodleys'
She and her husband are not angry with the Moodley family. "It is not their fault that their son did this. We expect a fair trial. The testimony will speak for itself," Matthews said.
On the evening Leigh would have celebrated her 22nd birthday, the Matthews family went out to dinner.
"We drank a lot of wine and wished her happy birthday. That was all we could do."
Leigh's room still unchanged
Leigh's room still looks just the way she left it before she had been abducted and murdered a day after her 21st birthday. "We still can't tidy it up. I know we must, but we haven't had the strength or the time yet. But the counsellor says the sooner we do it, the better," Matthews said while her blue eyes briefly filled with tears.
The family are all going for counselling. "It is difficult to handle something like this in a family set up. Each of us goes through different phases of mourning at different times. It is still difficult to come to terms with."
She wasn't aware that the charge sheet against her daughter's alleged murderer had changed.
"The police haven't told us and we do not read everything in the newspapers. We are careful and selective about what we read and what we listen to."
In court, Karen sat between her parents. Mr Matthews listened without expression to the statement made by Donovan Moodley, 25, as read by his legal team.
Her body shook with raw sobs
Mrs Matthews lifted her chin valiantly but burst into tears when she heard how Moodley had shot Leigh from behind. Her body shook with raw sobs when she heard how Moodley shot her daughter three more times to ensure she was dead.
When she heard Moodley wanted to mail her daughter's ring with an anonymous letter to them, she shook her head in disbelief and started crying again.
Following Moodley's plea statement, he whispered to Mrs Matthews: "I'm so sorry!" while tears rolled down his cheeks.
"I'm fine. Actually, I'm rather relieved," is all Mrs Matthews wanted to say after the court case before they left the court.
Mr Matthews rubbed Karen's back in a protective gesture - she only burst into tears towards the end of the court proceedings.
Outside the court, the Matthews family - their eyes red from crying - smiled at friends and family.