Alleged wife killer Arnold Terblanche and his co-accused will return to court at the end of the week when it will be explained to them how their separate murder trials will be conducted.
Terblanche and former schoolteacher Reinhardt Leach are accused of orchestrating the murder of Terblanche’s estranged wife, Vicki.
Vicki and Leach were in a relationship at the time.
The men made a brief appearance in the Gqeberha high court on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, acting judge Samson Dunywa ordered that their cases be heard separately after Leach did an about-turn to plead guilty to the charges
Terblanche, meanwhile, maintains his innocence.
Leach’s guilty plea in respect of the murder charge was rejected by the state due to conflicting versions.
The state’s case remains that he killed the Bay mother at the behest of her soon-to-be ex-husband, Terblanche, in October 2021.
Vicki was drugged and then smothered with a pillow.
Leach’s case will now be dealt with first, with Terblanche’s to follow in front of a new judge.
Leach will then probably be called to testify against the businessman.
The Terblanches had been going through an acrimonious divorce and custody battle over their minor son at the time of the chilling murder.
Leach’s detailed plea was only partly accepted by the state because it contradicted an earlier version from his friend, Dylan Cullis, who claimed Leach was the one who ultimately placed a pillow over a drugged Vicki’s head and suffocated her.
Leach, in turn, pointed the finger at Cullis.
Cullis is serving an 18-year prison sentence for his part in Vicki’s murder.
Terblanche and Leach are expected to return to the dock on Friday.
Leach remains in custody, while Terblanche is out on bail.
The Herald
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