On Friday morning, the ex-husband of murdered 37-year-old Candice Fritz will be appearing in the Johannesburg High Court for the first time, facing charges of rape and murder (Schedule 6 offences).
The Herald spoke to Grant Fritz, Candice’s brother, on Thursday. He said that the family will be attending the court proceedings. According to a family member, the accused’s former advocate, Amanda Nel, decided not to represent him in the High Court.
Bail for the accused was denied on 15 March.
During the night of 13 to 14 November 2016, the mother of two young children was found brutally murdered in her car. Randfontein Police arrested her ex-husband on the morning of 14 November and he was charged with her murder.
Also read: Dead woman in car identified
During the suspect’s first court appearance, Magistrate Elbie Botha confirmed that the charge against the suspect was one of murder and that Fritz had been stabbed repeatedly before her death.
During a subsequent court appearance, the suspect heard that the charge had been changed to rape and murder. It came to light that the police had searched the suspect’s house and found blood on the wall in the passage. They also found towels with blood on them, bloody clothes and a broken window.
Also read: Ex-husband accused of murdering wife back in court
A pair of men’s underpants was also found in a dustbin. It was also disclosed that a Samurai sword had been found, allegedly with blood on it. It also came to light that when Fritz was found in her red Polo, her pants were pulled half-way down.
The police also found a leaf and a substance – allegedly semen – on her genitals. There were bite marks on her right breast, and various stab wounds, all more or less three centimetres in length, as well as bruises and scratches on her body. The bruises on her back suggested that she had been dragged some distance. The results of the DNA test and the origin of the white substance were not available at that time.
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