Local News
Harrismith murder: Son was in prison before─── 07:47 Sat, 10 Nov 2012
Lani Fouché, Karien Jordaan
Harrismith - The rectory murder in Harrismith took a shocking turn yesterday when the son of the murdered reverend was arrested for alleged involvement in the killing of his father and his future brother-in-law.
60-year-old Willem Brits and his wife, Dorothea (59), were attacked with an axe in their home on Thursday evening. Willem was killed and Dorothea was critically injured. The couple's future son-in-law, Gerhardus Vermeulen, was shot dead.
Their daughter, Thea, was unharmed, but their 28-year-old son, who was present during the incident and alleged that he was tied up and locked in the bathroom, was arrested just after 5pm yesterday following police interrogation.
Spokesperson for the family, AJ Scherrer, last night said they took note of the arrest, but have faith in the police. A first suspect was arrested shortly after the incident when he was found with blood on his clothes and stolen goods near the N3.
The two suspects remain in Harrismith police holding cells and will appear in the town's Magistrate court on Monday.
Dorothea is still in a critical but stable condition in Mediclinic Bloemfontein after undergoing an operation last night.
It meanwhile surfaced that the couple's four children were all adopted, which Scherrer confirmed.
He also confirmed that the arrested son had been in prison earlier for fraud.
One of the last photographs that were taken of Reverend Willem Brits before he was killed. It was taken after the church service at NG Kerkenberg on Sunday, 4 November. (Photo supplied)
Brits' future son-in-law, Gerhardus Vermeulen. (Photo: Facebook)
Harrismith - The rectory murder in Harrismith took a shocking turn yesterday when the son of the murdered reverend was arrested for alleged involvement in the killing of his father and his future brother-in-law.
60-year-old Willem Brits and his wife, Dorothea (59), were attacked with an axe in their home on Thursday evening. Willem was killed and Dorothea was critically injured. The couple's future son-in-law, Gerhardus Vermeulen, was shot dead.
Their daughter, Thea, was unharmed, but their 28-year-old son, who was present during the incident and alleged that he was tied up and locked in the bathroom, was arrested just after 5pm yesterday following police interrogation.
Spokesperson for the family, AJ Scherrer, last night said they took note of the arrest, but have faith in the police. A first suspect was arrested shortly after the incident when he was found with blood on his clothes and stolen goods near the N3.
The two suspects remain in Harrismith police holding cells and will appear in the town's Magistrate court on Monday.
Dorothea is still in a critical but stable condition in Mediclinic Bloemfontein after undergoing an operation last night.
It meanwhile surfaced that the couple's four children were all adopted, which Scherrer confirmed.
He also confirmed that the arrested son had been in prison earlier for fraud.
One of the last photographs that were taken of Reverend Willem Brits before he was killed. It was taken after the church service at NG Kerkenberg on Sunday, 4 November. (Photo supplied)
Brits' future son-in-law, Gerhardus Vermeulen. (Photo: Facebook)
