Cape Town - Judgment in the trial of Revticken Patrick Muller, 40, accused of the rape and murder of Bianca Matroos, 37, is expected to be heard in the Circuit High Court in George today.
Matroos’s body was discovered in an open field at the George Riding Club on November 17, 2019. She had been raped and murdered.
Muller has been charged with four counts of murder, rape, kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The State said Matroos was out with her sister, Jacoline Swati, at a nightclub called “Nitro” in George on November 14. There she met Muller, who came to the club with two others, Stefaans Juries and Andries Jakobus.
Muller and Matroos spoke inside the club and he allegedly kidnapped an inebriated Matroos when they left after 1am.
Matroos was identified leaving the club by Swati using surveillance footage.
The State alleged that Muller forced Matroos into a red car with his companions. Jakobus then drove them to a mosque in Levallia, George, where he dropped Muller and Matroos. This was the last time Matroos was seen alive.
The State said that after 6am Muller was seen, wearing muddied clothes, coming from the direction of the George Riding Club. He was wearing the same clothes he wore the previous night, when he was last seen with Matroos.
Matroos’s body was found between concrete blocks in the open field behind the George Riding Club. The State alleged that Muller had assaulted her and taken her underwear, socks, a pair of shoes and a grey woollen beanie.
According to the State, Muller hit Matroos with either his hands or an object such as a brick and killed her. Matroos was also accused of stabbing her with a knife when he allegedly stole the various items from her.
The post-mortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was “blunt force head and chest injuries, aspiration of blood”.
Judgment and sentencing is expected to be heard in court today, after a postponement by Judge Elize Steyn on Monday.