When Ronnie Hunt, his wife Elise, and his son Ronnie Junior were found shot to death in their Reitz home in 2002, one member of the family was conspicuous by his absence. 16-year-old Elro was nowhere to be found and police had to wonder whether he was a victim or the perpetrator?
Family murders are often classed as “black swan” events — incidents so unexpected and rare that we believe they will never touch us personally. The truth, though, seems very different. When we look back at some of the most shocking family murders SA has seen, the signs were there but for different reasons action was not taken before it was too late.
In 2002, the sleepy agricultural town of Reitz in the Free State was rocked when three members of the Hunt family were found fatally shot in their home. The town was already reeling from another murder after a botched robbery, so residents automatically assumed Ronnie Hunt Snr (49), his wife Elize (47)and their son, Ronnie Jnr (26), must have suffered a similar fate.
The two surviving members of the family are sons Riaan, who works in Pretoria, and Elro (16), a Ficksburg High School pupil.
The reality, though, was far more shocking. Soon police arrested the family’s 16-year-old son, Elro, in connection with the murders.
In episode 89 of True Crime South Africa we look at this seemingly cold and calculated massacre of a family by one of its own and delve into the psychology behind teenagers who kill.
SHOWNOTES:
Host: Nicole Engelbrecht
Producer: Nicole Engelbrecht
Music: Snippet (with permission) from Prime Circle’s Evidence
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