Wentworth detectives commended for solving Parsons murder
Their commendations should serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals.
FOUR Wentworth SAPS officers were awarded certificates for their dedication and hard work in arresting the men involved in the murder of Bluff mother, Bianca Parsons in February 2018.
Darryl Morrison (33) was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, five years for attempted murder and 15 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm for the murder of Bluff mother and wife Bianca Parsons on Monday, 11 February. His co-accused Christopher Houston was convicted of being an accessory to murder and sentenced to 10 years.
Warrant Officer Walter Marais, Sergeant AJ Mdlethse, Constable Raymond Mkhize, and Ntuthuko Cele were the first to respond to the scene of the shooting, which was initially reported as a business robbery.
READ: Murdered Bluff woman’s family want justice
“When we got there we could see this was no business robbery but a murder. We found several people at the scene to gather information and found the Parsons’ husband, who was in the shop when the shooting happened,” said W/O Marais.
The officers said the scene was unlike any other shooting scene they had attended since it involved a mother and a child who was fortunately unharmed. The case was particularly hard on W/O Marais who is a relative of Parsons. “It has been stressful and we had to overcome many obstacles. When we arrived at the scene, she was still alive so we immediately called the paramedics. Minutes after they got there, she died. We viewed the footage supplied by the garage owner and we noticed and recognized the shooter. At first, we couldn’t find him but thanks to our informer network, we traced the car, a white Polo to Reiger Road in Wentworth where we made the first arrest the following Monday. We worked hard to catch the shooter Darryl Morrison. We were determined to bring justice to the family,” said W/O Marais.
READ: Life plus 20 years for Bluff woman’s murder
Due to false speculation about alleged evidence tampering, the case was transferred to Montclair SAPS. “A voice recording which made claims about evidence tampering stressed us out and put us under a lot of strain. I feel vindicated as I always knew we as a team did what was expected of us and it was done correctly,” he added.
Their commendations should serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals. “We ask the community to not feel shy or threatened when they need to give witness testimony to crimes they may have seen. Don’t feel intimidated by thugs, and do the right thing. When we achieve good results, we feel more motivated, and that what this certificate means to us,” said Constable Raymond Mkhize.
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