On April 3 2011, South Africa woke up to the news of one of the most monstrous crimes ever committed in our country.
Partial remains of 24-year-old Michael van Eck had been discovered in a shallow grave in a graveyard in Welkom. The hunt was on for the location of the rest of the young electrician’s body as well as his clearly deranged killer. Within a few days the police investigation would reveal the answers to these questions, but no-one expected what was found.
A young couple, Chané van Heerden and her boyfriend Maartens van der Merwe, were arrested and a violent fantasy such as the world had rarely seen was uncovered. The trial which followed would delve into aspects of the occult, childhood dreams of murder and eventually the declaration that Van Heerden was simply too dangerous to ever be released into society again.
In episode 26, True Crime South Africa tells the story of how a trusting and friendly young man found himself trapped by two vicious killers.
SHOWNOTES:
Host: Nicole Engelbrecht
Producer: Nicole Engelbrecht
Music: Snippet from Prime Circle’s Evidence
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If you’re in South Africa, you can always, always phone SADAG on 0800 456 789
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