Lotz murder: It was jealousy
2005-06-16 11:33
Stellenbosch - Three months after the murder of top Stellenbosch student Inge Lotz and shortly after the results of certain forensic tests were announced, Lotz's boyfriend - a former star pupil of Grey College in Bloemfontein - handed himself over to the Cloetesville police on Wednesday.
"It was a matter of hand yourself over or we arrest you," a police officer explained. Police are speculating that the murder could have been committed in a fit of jealousy.
Frederick (Fred) van der Vyver, 22 - son of a prominent Eastern Cape family - arrived at the police station with his father, Louis, and his lawyer, William Booth, shortly before 11:00 on Wednesday. Apart from a terse smile in Booth's direction while photographers trained their lenses on them, Van der Vywer looked fixedly ahead of him.
Van der Vyver was officially charged with murder and about an hour later, he was led from the police station with his hands cuffed behind his back. He was taken to a vehicle that drove him to the Stellenbosch magistrate's court. He was no longer handcuffed as he entered the courtroom. He was released on R10 000 bail. The state did not oppose bail.
A friend found the bloody body of Lotz, 22, only child of professor Jan Lotz from Bloemfontein and Juanita Lotz from Welgemoed, on a couch in her flat in Klein Welgefonden on the night of March 16. There were no signs of forced entry.
Blood marks indicated that the murderer had washed his hands in the guestroom. Reports at the time speculated that she watched a DVD with someone on the afternoon of her murder. Lotz, who was enrolled for a master's degree in mathematical statistics, died because of head wounds, allegedly caused by an ornamental hammer. She also had stab wounds to her chest and neck and her little finger had been broken.
Director Attie Trollip, head of the police's criminal record centre, informed Van der Vyver's lawyer on Monday that they had a warrant for Van der Vyver's arrest. Van der Vyver was visiting his parents on their farm near East London and arrangements were made for him to travel with his father to Cape Town.
Van der Vyver, an actuary at Old Mutual in Pinelands, maintains that he is innocent. In a sworn statement that was submitted to court on Wednesday, he claimed that a fingerprint on a DVD was the only thing linking him to the murder.
Someone close to the investigation, however, said that the results of forensic tests that were released this week, completed the puzzle of the murder.
In his statement, Van der Vyver said he is willing to submit to a lie detector test to prove his innocence He said the results showed that he could not have been involved in the murder. He also mentioned that he co-operated with police from the beginning.
"Director Trollip requested via my lawyer that I provide certain blood and hair samples and I did this...I was fully prepared to co-operate because I am not guilty."
The case was postponed to September 16 for further investigation.