JOHANNESBURG- The alleged “Krugersdorp killers”‚ who are a group of six accused of carrying out 11 vicious murders‚ appeared in the high court in Johannesburg on Monday.
The accused are Cecilia Steyn‚ her friend Marinda Steyn and her two children Marcel and Leroux Steyn‚ and Zak Valentine.
The group of six are accused of murdering 11 people from the year 2012 to 2016, the chargers also included aggravated assault‚ possession of an unlicensed firearm‚ fraud and identity theft.
Cecilia Steyn who is believed to started the murders a self-proclaimed child psychologist‚ had a fall out with the pastor of the Overcomers Through Christ church.
In July 2012‚ church member and lawyer Natacha Burger had her throat slit in her neighbour’s home. The neighbour‚ Joyce Boonzaaier‚ was also killed in the same way. Police believe the killers forced Boonzaaier to lure Burger to her house so that they could kill her.
In August month‚ Pastor Reginald Bendixen was stabbed and hacked to death with an axe at his home in Honeydew‚ western Johannesburg.
Valentine’s wife‚ 25-year-old Mikeila‚ was killed in October 2012 in their home in Ruimsig‚ Roodepoort‚ is believed to have refused to support the alleged murderous revenge plot carried out by her husband and other breakaway members of the church.
Police added her blood and intestines were splattered on the ceiling.
The Steyn family are among five people on trial in Krugersdorp on Gauteng’s West Rand for alleged involvement in the killings of church members as well as professionals lured to their death.
Image: Sunday Times
It is alleged that the four murders made Valentine and his accomplices more confident. They are alleged to have committed seven more murders in the Krugersdorp area‚ mostly for money. The group is alleged to have put their revenge plan on hold, and carried out armed robberies instead to sustain themselves.
Ben Booysen investigating the murders said the accused all have the tattoo of Electus per Deus (Chosen by God).
Booysen said, “They don’t speak about God‚ they talk about ‘our’ god‚ but at this stage I don’t know who their god is.”
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