Jonathan Jonas, one of the four men arrested for the rape, robbery and killing of 16-year-old Franziska Blochliger has been found guilty in another case.
This emerged in the latest hearing at the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday December 28.
In Franziska’s case, Mr Jonas is accused of having the gun that was used.
Franziska was found raped and murdered on March 7 after she had separated from her mother and sister to go for a run in Tokai Forest (“Franziska remembered”, Bulletin March 10 2016).
Outside court 4, Mogammad Galant, who is standing in for defence attorney Monique Carstens, said Mr Jonas abandoned his bid for bail in the Franziska case and is serving a sentence for another case.
Mr Galant said he did not have the details of the other case and was trying to get more information.
Ms Carstens is acting for three of the four accused implicated in the rape, robbery and murder of the Waldorf pupil who lived in Muizenberg.
The clanking of ankle chains announced the arrival of Mr Jonas as he climbed the steps from the holding cells. He was joined by the three men accused on four counts of rape, aggravated robbery and murder, Howard Oliver, Daniel Easter and Jerome Moses.
Mr Easter was allegedly in possession of her cellphone following Franziska’s murder. It is alleged that Mr Moses helped to sell her cellphone. They are both out on bail.
Missing DNA evidence, no magistrate and one of the accused, Daniel Easter, not appearing in court are some of the reasons for postponements in the case (“Angry outbursts as trial postponed again,” Bulletin, November 24 2016).
On December 6, Mr Oliver, who has denied raping and murdering Franziska, turned on his co-accused Mr Jonas, nicknamed Jakkals, saying he only wanted to rob the teenager to pay the R200 arrears for his child’s school fees (“Franziska accused: I only wanted to rob her”, Bulletin December 8, 2016).
On December 9, a statement written by Warrant Officer Jan Coetzee was read out in court by prosecutor Renee Prinsloo-Uys. He described Mr Oliver as “someone prone to commit crime”.
Warrant Officer Coetzee cited a long list of previous charges and convictions against him going back to 2008, including assaults against a 15-year-old, several domestic violence interdicts, petty thefts, business and house robberies and drug-related arrests.
The court also heard gruesome details about how a bra and T-shirt had been used to strangle Franziska and one of her shoelaces had been tied around her neck. On December 13, Mr Easter jumped bail and Magistrate Gulam Bower issued a warrant of arrest and for his R1 000 bail to be forfeited (“Warrant issued after accused skips bail”, Bulletin December 15 2016).
However, Mr Easter went to court the following week of his own volition saying he had been sick.
He was told to appear on December 28. Also, on December 13, Ms Carstens asked for a postponement due to “exceptional circumstances”. She said she disagreed with the state’s assertion that all DNA tests had been concluded and the results handed to the court.
She said DNA evidence is integral to the case and there were still 44 outstanding results. Mr Bower then ordered the state and prosecution to file their “heads of argument” that day.
However, on December 28 Mr Galant said the prosecution had filed their arguements but not the state.
Magistrate Momina Ismail ordered the four men to be back in the dock on Wednesday January 18, when Mr Oliver is expected to hear whether or not he will be released on bail.
If he is, the case will go to the High Court and is expected to be heard mid-
year.
