Liezel de Jager murder: Second arrest imminent, shock revelations in court

As the gory details of how his wife was strangled and had her throat slit were read out in court, Werner de Jager flashed a big grin and suppressed a giggle as he sat in the dock yesterday.

Werner (45) was appearing in the Amanzimtoti Magistrate’s Court to apply for bail as he stands accused of murdering his wife, NG Kerk Suidkus pastor Liezel (38). He is accused of killing her on October 13, 2021, at their Amanzimtoti home as she returned from a morning jog.

Another murder?

The state, led by prosecutor Gayle Greyling, dropped bombshell after bombshell as it asked the court not to grant De Jager bail. Greyling said De Jager is a danger to society and might kill to silence witnesses. She alleged that De Jager is also implicated in the strangling to death of a woman in the UK while working there in 2010. He was also involved in a car accident that killed two women in the Free State in April 2023, while allegedly driving drunk. The court also heard that De Jager has tried to commit suicide 12 times.

Person of interest

In a statement, the investigating team said a second arrest is imminent as another person of interest who may have helped kill Liezel has been identified.

According to the state, the murder was motivated by two life cover policies totalling R3.29m that De Jager had taken out on his wife a few months before her death. Two months before Liezel’s death, her will was changed and De Jager was made the sole beneficiary of her estate in the event of her death.

The state also told the court that while the two were married out of community of property, the marriage had broken down to the extent that they were sleeping in different bedrooms. During that time, Liezel was the sole breadwinner in the household, which also consisted of their two young daughters.

Charges and court revelations

The state added two counts of fraud relating to the life cover policies – which were never paid out – each with a minimum sentence of 15 years. The state is seeking life in prison for the premeditated murder charge.

“The accused planned and took steps to carry out the murder in such a way as to minimise his chances of detection and maximise his chances to benefit from the murder,” said prosecutor Greyling.

Describing how the murder happened, Greyling said that as Liezel returned from her morning run, De Jager pounced on her, strangling her to death. When she was dead, Greyling said he moved to another area where he cut her throat and pulled down her pants to make it look like she had died during a sexual assault. As Greyling was reading that out, De Jager laughed quietly.

Information that was obtained by investigators from De Jager’s smartwatch contradicted the statement he had given to police. He had claimed he had been asleep when the crime was committed, but the watch showed that he had taken some 460 steps around the time of his wife’s death.

Denying any involvement

In an affidavit read by his lawyer, advocate André May, De Jager denied any involvement in the murder, saying if there was any evidence connecting him to the crime, he would have been arrested a long time ago. He also denied that any fraud relating to the life cover policies was committed.

“I’m also not a flight risk as my passport expired five years ago. I was born in this country, and I love living here,” he said.

He added that accommodation has been found for him in Potchefstroom where he would stay if released on bail. The court heard that the accommodation is in a compound in an isolated area where mentally challenged people stay. The state had some misgivings about releasing Werner to a place where it could be difficult to monitor him to see whether he abides by bail conditions.

The case was postponed to January 25, when the defence will be expected to make its submissions.

Werner was remanded in custody where he has been since he was arrested on November 23, 2023.