Rob Matthews believes that his daughter's kidnapping, the ransom, the crime, were carefully calculated.
We will keep on fighting… That’s the message that Rob Matthews, dad of Leigh Matthews had for her killer, parole hopeful Donovan Moodley.
He wants answers and to find out exactly what happened to his daughter during the 11 days she was missing.
The question also remains whether Moodley had help. Matthews may get his answers as the entire contents of former top cop Piet Byleveld’s investigation into the young woman’s slaying was handed to the family yesterday by a person sympathetic to their cause.
Family vows to fight parole for Leigh Matthews’ killer
The family now has access to a set of original content of the actual investigation and will be going through it with a fine-tooth comb, assisted by their attorney, said Matthews.
The donor of the documentation said they hoped the family would not only find unanswered questions in the box full of evidence, but that it would perhaps aid their mission to halt any consideration of parole for Moodley in its tracks.
Hopes of finding more evidence that Moodley did not act alone are now rekindled, too. “Byleveld told us he did not think that Donovan worked alone,” said Matthews.
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“When he handed down judgment, the judge also noted there were probably other people involved.”
Yet, Moodley never talked and never incriminated anyone else.
Suspicions that Matthews’ body was stored for some time after her death are also back on the table. She was missing for 11 days, but, if the speculation stands at a later point in time, it would suggest her body was stored and later moved to where it was dumped and discovered by a lawn worker.
Spider’s web indicate how Leigh’s body was at discovery
Matthews’ dad said during the investigation, reference was made to a particular kind of spider – a funnel web spider – that spins its web within a 24-hour period. This arachnid’s web was found on the scene connected to Leigh’s body.
This, according to Matthews, indicated that her body had been on the discovery site for less than a day. Yet, he said, Moodley’s cellphone records placed him at Montecasino during the same period of time.
Photographs of Matthews’ body, seen by The Citizen, also support the theory. Apart from the visible bullet wounds, her extremities had frostings of what looked like ice.
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This could imply cold storage at some point close to the discovery of her body.
The set of investigation material also comprised several reports, intelligence on Moodley as well as images of a well-fed Moodley.
Matthews said despite his denials, Moodley and Leigh shared some classes at their university.
Moodley and Leigh were classmates
“We have affidavits from classmates that state exactly that,” he said.
Matthews has already gone to great lengths to fight parole.
His daughter was killed by some of the most lethal bullets yet made. “I even researched the damage that dumdum bullets can do to a body,” he said.
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“I made copies of it and handed it to the parole board.
“They needed to see what the ammunition used on my daughter can do to a person,” he said.
Also known as a hollow-point bullet, a dumdum is an expanding bullet designed to flatten or expand upon impacting its target. This creates a large, gaping wound as opposed to a normal bullet, which has a sharp end.
Why a rush for parole?
Under international law, such bullets are prohibited because of the severity of damage it does to the human body.
Matthews questioned why there is a rush for parole.
“I don’t know why there is such a rush for parole. Surely it must be earned?” he said.
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“Surely society needs to be happy that a person is going to be reintegrated into society?
“There are so many examples of people on parole who have gone and committed a crime – the same crime or another crime.”
Leigh was a good person, Matthews said.
Good person
She was never a party animal and did not even find herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, he said.
He believed that the kidnapping, the ransom, the crime, was a carefully calculated exercise.
The tragedy and enduring grief that his family suffered should never happen to anyone else, Matthews said. “That’s why we, as a family, have an obligation to try to make a difference,” he said.
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