Cape Town - The man accused of murdering his son’s 8-year-old friend during a sleepover has been described as being kind and fond of children, with a dark side as a convicted rapist.
The court heard that young Danielle Jamneck had nail marks on his neck which had been left by his killer on June 15 at his friend’s home in Peerless Park North, Kraaifontein, during a sleepover.
Arthur Wheeler, 47, made his first appearance at the Blue Down’s Magistrate’s Court on Friday where he faced a charge of murder.
None of Wheeler’s family nor the child’s relatives were present.
The State informed the court that Wheeler has a previous conviction of rape. This dates back to 2005 involving a female victim.
Wheeler appeared calm as he stepped into the dock and asked: “I am not sure why I was arrested?”
The magistrate explained he had a choice to apply for legal aid for a private attorney.
She responded to his claims “You would not have been standing here if it was not for the prima facie evidence linking you and you are welcome to speak to the investigating officer.”
Wheeler indicated he would be applying for legal aid.
The State said the child had slept over at Wheeler’s home and that he was sleeping in the same bed as Wheeler.
“The son was sleeping in a separate bed. The accused said when he woke up, he found that the deceased was not breathing and called for help.
“The deceased had nail marks on his neck and the State will be opposing bail and the accused has a previous conviction of rape.”
The magistrate asked Wheeler about the sleeping arrangements: “The State says the deceased, the 8-year-old, slept with him (the accused) in the bed and his child slept on a separate bed.”
To which Wheeler answered, “Yes, he was sleeping next to me”.
Wheeler then told the court he needed to be out of police custody because he risked losing his job if he didn't arrive back on Monday.
The case was postponed to June 28 for a formal bail application.
A friend of Wheeler’s, who is also his landlady, who didnt want to be identified, said Wheeler and his 12-year-old son had been living in her two-bedroomed “separate entrance” since February and that the other room had been occupied by another tenant.
She said they were in a state of shock because Wheeler had been kind-hearted and loved children but had presented a dark side.
“He would help you with anything,” she said. “Even when the police came and took him away here, I could not believe it. He is a nice person but he must have led another life.”
When asked about the events of the fatal night, she said the boy, who had been a family friend of Wheeler’s, had slept over for the fourth time.
She explained that the children had moved from her residence to the back entrance where they had played “Minecraft” before the boy texted his mother a good night message.
“They went to bed early, maybe around 8pm,” she said.
“He (Wheeler) told me that when he got up to pee and was back in the room he noticed the boy was not moving. He checked for a pulse and felt nothing and when he put on the light he saw the child looked grey.
“He called the tenant, who he asked to perform CPR and then they called me. When I saw the child, I could see he was dead.
“Wheeler stood at the door smoking calmly and had at one stage called to the boy to wake up. I called the neighbourhood watch.”
The 12-year-old’s mother, who said she was weary of the media, said police had asked why no-one had heard anything, especially her son, to which she replied that he was partially deaf.
A relative of the landlord, who has an eight-month-old son, said she was always suspicious of Wheeler’s “over-friendly personality”.