Former police officer Marius van der Westhuizen, convicted of killing his three young children in front of his wife 17 years ago, is seeking parole after serving less than five years per murder.
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Van der Westhuizen was the acting station commander at Claremont Police Station at the time of the incident in 2006.
The murders of his daughters Antoinette (21 months) Bianca (16) and son Marius (5) were carried out as a punitive measure against his now ex-wife, Charlotte, whom he believed had lied to him.
Before shooting the children, Van der Westhuizen got into an argument with Charlotte, forcing her to choose between her job and their family. When she said that she could not make such a choice, he proceeded to shoot his three children with his service pistol while they slept in their beds.
Throughout the trial, it was revealed that Van der Westhuizen perceived Charlotte’s decision as prioritising her job over her family.
‘You made your choice. Now you must face the consequences,’ uttered Van der Westhuizen as he pulled the trigger.
Van der Westhuizen’s parole hearing is set for 13 December at Malmesbury Prison.
Gerhard van Niekerk, of De Klerk Van Gend Attorneys Inc. representing Charlotte, has stated that she will not be present at the hearing.
Van der Westhuizen is seeking early parole as he feels he was not given a fair trial based on his opinion that the judge was biased and Charlotte was not thoroughly cross-examined.
Retired police officer Lieutenant-Colonel Sharon Jephta believes that Van der Westhuizen should not be considered for parole as he has served less than five years per murder.
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