Most of us can relate to sibling rivalry. I remember throwing a strawberry milkshake at my brother years ago, and I don’t even remember what the fight was about.
Siblings fight, it’s normal, but it doesn’t often get violent, and very rarely does it get deadly.
On 19 September 1994, the community of Port Elizabeth was horrified at the murder of a 13-year-old girl; she was attacked in her home.
After school, Ciska and Amanda du Toit went home, just like any other day; however, this day would change their lives forever.
Ria du Toit received a phone call from Amanda screaming that Ciska was dead; there had been an attack at the family home.
Amanda told the police that there was a masked intruder who stabbed her sister to death and attacked her, but she had managed to get away, and the offender fled the scene. Everyone was in shock, this was a safe neighbourhood, and the community was baffled.
As the investigation continued, police uncovered damning evidence about Amanda.
Ria and her husband had three daughters, but they divorced when the girls were still young. Dennis moved away after the divorce. Amanda was the middle child, and she struggled with her parents’ divorce.
From the outside, the girls looked happy. However, Amanda was struggling, and she felt like an outsider in her family; she felt isolated. Ria started a new relationship, and her boyfriend moved in, which left Amanda feeling more neglected.
Amanda’s best friend told police about a letter Amanda wrote to her weeks before the attack, describing the hate she had had for her sister, and the letter ended with a chilling statement that she should feed her sister rat poison or stab her through her heart.
Police questioned the 16-year-old Amanda, and she confessed to the murder of her sister. Ria was devastated. During her confession, Amanda made a chilling statement. While stabbing her sister over and over, she was imagining it was her mother.
Amanda was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.
Amanda was sentenced to ten years but only served eight. She went to stay with her mother and tried to continue with her life. Unfortunately, the community was not as forgiving as her mother, and Amanda struggled to adjust. She found comfort in drinking and was in trouble a couple of times for drinking and driving. At the age of 31, Amanda died tragically in a car accident.
Ria blamed the public for Amanda’s death, a mother heartbroken, two of her daughters killed.
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