The case against a Knysna man accused of killing his girlfriend and then googling ways to get away with murder, has been transferred to the town’s high court.
Mervyn Bock, accused of strangling Velia Strydom to death at his Trotter Street flat in December 2025, briefly took to the dock of the Knysna Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The case was then postponed by agreement between the state and the defence to October 23 for a pre-trial conference, after which a trial date will be set.
Bock, 40, who was previously denied bail, remains in custody.
A pre-trial conference is a formal meeting between opposing legal teams before a civil or criminal trial begins.
Its main goal is to narrow down the real issues in dispute and agree on undisputed facts to save court time during trial.
It is the state’s case that after Bock allegedly killed Strydom, a 39-year-old mother of four, he wrapped her body in a sheet and then disposed of her.
Strydom’s decomposing body was found six days later near the Red Bridge outside Knysna on December 12 2025.
During Wednesday’s court appearance, the proceedings focused predominantly on the status of the docket.
The court previously heard that Bock and Strydom had been at a nightclub on the night of the murder.
A friend who had accompanied them to the club alleged that Bock had come across agitated and aggressive, and eventually forced Strydom to leave with him.
When police arrived to arrest Bock on New Year’s Day, he allegedly jumped out of his apartment window and tried to flee.
On further investigation, it was found that he had allegedly searched for tips online on ways to get away with murder.
He faces charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Bock has maintained his innocence.
Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
The Herald
