Durban - A Western Cape man has been found guilty of killing his ex-wife Charlene October in July last year.
Ashley October and Tashwell van der Rheede were convicted in the Western Cape High Court by Judge Roshenie Alley on Monday.
Charlene was found dead on July 12, 2021, and post-mortem results revealed she had been strangled.
October had planned to kill his wife to benefit from an insurance policy.
According to State indictments, the couple had been divorced in July 2015.
In addition to murder, October was found guilty of attempting to obstruct the course of justice by tying the rope used in the killing of Charlene to the roof beam to make it look like she had committed suicide.
During the trial two people whom October had previously hired to kill his wife gave chilling testimonies. Both had worked with October.
The first witness, Ashley Kerr, said that in 2011, October took him to a waste disposal dump and asked him to kill his wife.
Kerr said that he was told there was a “huge life policy” on Charlene from which her husband would benefit.
He told him to kill his wife by entering the house through a small window, slit her throat and stab her.
He promised to give him a portion of the insurance.
Kerr said he refused to carry out the murder and told people about it.
The second witness, Reagan Zietsman, said that in 2012 he was also approached to kill Charlene.
He said he and October had worked together making thatched roofs for properties in Constantia.
Zietsman said that in July 2012 October asked him to murder his wife and said that an insurance policy would pay out within 24 hours of her death and he would pay him between R30 000 and R40 000 to commit the murder.
Zietsman said October told him to make it look like rape or to slit her throat or to hang her and to make it look like a suicide.
He said he was told he could gain entry to the house through the child’s window or he could wait until the domestic helper left and gain entry through the front door.
On Friday, July 30, 2012, Zietsman allegedly entered Charlene’s home through the front door at dusk, hid behind couches until sometime between 2am and 3am and then found her asleep with her child.
Zietsman said he could not go through with the murder and told Charlene about her husband’s plans a few days later.
He told the court that Charlene was initially shocked and then asked him to accompany her to the police station, which he did.
Zietsman said nothing came of the case.
Charlene’s oldest son, Ethan Telemachus, testified how he found his mother’s body in a pool of blood.
He said he arrived at the home to fetch his 6-week-old daughter and when he called out to his mother there was no answer.
Telemachus said when he found his mother, he ran outside to tell October she was dead.
October cried: “My wife, my wife” and made a crying sound.
During the trial October pleaded not guilty and elected not to provide a plea explanation, thereby invoking his right to silence.
The first accused, Van der Rheede told the court that was he offered R200 000 to kill Charlene and he thought it was a joke.
He said he was told to break into the tuck shop in the house and make it look like a robbery.
Van der Rheede said that October said would would do the deed himself in reference to the killing.
He was found guilty of murder, housebreaking and robbery.
Sentencing proceedings are expected to begin next week.
IOL