Murder accused claims he's 'God's messenger'
24 July 2008, 07:40
Durban brother and sister Hardus and Nicolette Lotter, who made a brief court appearance on Wednesday charged with the murder of their parents, had been part of a religious sect and had been influenced by Nicolette's boyfriend and co-accused, Mathew Naidoo, who had claimed he was "God's messenger", sources close to the investigation said on Wednesday.
Hardus, who is 20 and a second-year IT student at Varsity College, his sister Nicolette, 26, a waitress, and Naidoo, 21, of Phoenix, were arrested soon after police were summoned to the Lotters' Thames Drive, Westville, home on Saturday night.
Hardus allegedly told police he had been accosted by two balaclava-clad men who had taken his cellphone and locked him in his bedroom. Nicolette claimed she had come home later and discovered the bodies of her slain parents.
Johan Lotter, 53, head of the Lanxess chemical plant, had apparently been strangled.
His wife, Magdelena "Riekie", a teacher at Grosvenor High, had been stabbed several times.
After questioning the siblings and Naidoo, police arrested them and charged them with murder.
The three looked composed when they appeared before Pinetown magistrate Corel Language on Wednesday. Hardus, tall and dressed in a suit, stood next to his diminutive sister, who appeared far younger than her stated 26 years. Next to them in the dock was Naidoo. He turned and whispered: "I'm sorry," to relatives in the public gallery.
The three were remanded until July 31. The magistrate ordered that the Lotters be held at the Westville police station cells and Naidoo at the Cato Manor police cells until their next court appearance in Pinetown.
Prosecutor Jan Breytenbach told the court that the case had been discussed with the director of public prosecutions and should be transferred to the high court within 10 days.
All three indicated that they had no funds for a private attorney and asked for legal aid.
A source close to the investigation said it was believed the three had conspired to kill the Lotters and had made previous attempts to murder them, including spiking Mr Lotter's drink with poison. The siblings claimed to have been under the influence of Naidoo who had told them he was "God's messenger" and "the Third Son of God", and that he had received a message that they should kill their parents.
It is also believed that before the murders, Johan and Riekie Lotter had received several anonymous death threats that contained messages from the Bible. Johan Lotter had approached a private investigator and the police for assistance, and had laid charges of intimidation.
Hardus, who is 20 and a second-year IT student at Varsity College, his sister Nicolette, 26, a waitress, and Naidoo, 21, of Phoenix, were arrested soon after police were summoned to the Lotters' Thames Drive, Westville, home on Saturday night.
Hardus allegedly told police he had been accosted by two balaclava-clad men who had taken his cellphone and locked him in his bedroom. Nicolette claimed she had come home later and discovered the bodies of her slain parents.
Johan Lotter, 53, head of the Lanxess chemical plant, had apparently been strangled.
His wife, Magdelena "Riekie", a teacher at Grosvenor High, had been stabbed several times.
After questioning the siblings and Naidoo, police arrested them and charged them with murder.
The three looked composed when they appeared before Pinetown magistrate Corel Language on Wednesday. Hardus, tall and dressed in a suit, stood next to his diminutive sister, who appeared far younger than her stated 26 years. Next to them in the dock was Naidoo. He turned and whispered: "I'm sorry," to relatives in the public gallery.
The three were remanded until July 31. The magistrate ordered that the Lotters be held at the Westville police station cells and Naidoo at the Cato Manor police cells until their next court appearance in Pinetown.
Prosecutor Jan Breytenbach told the court that the case had been discussed with the director of public prosecutions and should be transferred to the high court within 10 days.
All three indicated that they had no funds for a private attorney and asked for legal aid.
A source close to the investigation said it was believed the three had conspired to kill the Lotters and had made previous attempts to murder them, including spiking Mr Lotter's drink with poison. The siblings claimed to have been under the influence of Naidoo who had told them he was "God's messenger" and "the Third Son of God", and that he had received a message that they should kill their parents.
It is also believed that before the murders, Johan and Riekie Lotter had received several anonymous death threats that contained messages from the Bible. Johan Lotter had approached a private investigator and the police for assistance, and had laid charges of intimidation.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on July 24, 2008
Pretoria
