It had been a year of heartache and sorrow, but for one Gqeberha family a glimmer of hope shone through after police arrested a suspect for the brutal murder of Shenice Jonathan.
On Thursday, Quinton Scheepers, 20, was arrested at the city’s magistrate’s court and charged with Jonathan’s murder.
Though the reasons why Scheepers was at the court were not disclosed by the authorities, it is understood that he was there for a separate, unrelated matter.
On Friday, Jonathan’s brother, Shervargo, 39, said while the family had been kept in the loop about the investigation and the possibility of the arrest, it was welcome relief to know Scheepers had been taken into custody and appeared in court.
“For us as a family we are one step closer to getting some form of closure.
“We are really happy that things are coming to this point now — it has been more than a year,” Shervargo said.
He said his mother was still very emotional, but grateful that someone had been arrested and charged for the murder of her 26-year-old daughter.
“We do feel a sense of relief.
“Now we just hope that justice will prevail,” Shervargo said.
Making his first court appearance on Friday, Scheepers stood calmly in the dock while two of his family members sat quietly in the public gallery.
Prosecutor Melani Hammett told magistrate Abigail Beaton that Scheepers had been charged with a schedule-six offence of premeditated murder which was gender-based violence related.
Hammett said the state would oppose bail due to the severity the matter.
“It is alleged that there had been an argument two days prior which led to the vicious murder of [Jonathan],” Hammett said.
Scheepers told the court he would apply for Legal Aid representation and intended to plead not guilty.
The matter was postponed to Monday for Scheepers to bring a formal bail application.
Jonathan’s badly mutilated body was discovered at about 7.45am on August 7 2020.
She had last been seen by her family the previous night at about 7.30pm before she left their Schauderville home to visit a friend.
Her body was discovered by a passer-by in a field near Thornton Street, Schauderville.
She had multiple stab wounds.
Jonathan is survived by her two-year-old daughter, Jordan.
Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu confirmed Scheepers had been charged with murder, but said other charges could be included as the investigations continued.
HeraldLIVE
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