This week’s minisode is going to be a little bit different to what I usually do in our minisodes as recently an awesome true crime podcast called True Crime Lab – who you should definitely check out by the way – came up with a fantastic campaign for the true crime podcast community.
I am sure that you have all been aware of the devastating fires in Australia that have been raging for the last few months. A huge amount of their wildlife has been wiped out and the animal survivors have had their habitats destroyed. 2000 homes have been destroyed and at least 25 people have been killed. 15 million acres of land have been destroyed. Their government has recently added an additional $ 1.4 billion toward recovery efforts but far more than that is needed. So True Crime Lab came up with this idea where true crime podcasts across the world could each cover a case from Australia and create awareness around the fire damage and give exposure to the avenues that can be used to channel donations to the victims.
As luck would have it, one of our awesome Australian listeners Ali Capps had told me about an Australian case a few months ago and I wanted to cover it because it has a South African link, and this is the perfect opportunity.
South African’s Luc and Rieka Mombers moved their family to Australia in 2008 to escape violent crime in South Africa and seek a better quality of life for their children Marcel and Alicia. Luc was able to secure a job as a mechanic at the local airport and Rieka worked at Marcel’s school. The couple settled their family in the suburb of Hectorville which falls within the boundaries of the city of Campbelltown in Adelaide. The Mombers were very happy in Hectorville.
Next door to the Mombers in Montacute Road, the Corbo family were having more of a tough time of it. 39-year-old Donato Corbo had gone through a difficult break up in 2010 and he had been committed to a mental health facility. Donato had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and now, having been released from the facility was attempting to assimilate himself back into day-to-day life and had moved in with his parents .
What is now known as the 2011 Hectorville siege took place between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 29, 2011.
Donato Anthony Corbo killed his neighbour Luc Mombers and Mr Mombers’ parents-in-law Korbus and Annetjie Snyman, who were visiting from South Africa. Mr Mombers’ wife Rika Mombers and teenage son Marcel survived the ordeal, as did two police officers who were injured when they attended the scene during the eight hour standoff.
In 2012, Corbo was found not guilty of three counts of murder, two of attempted murder and one of aggravated threatening life by reason of mental incompetence. was automatically sentenced to three consecutive sentences of detention in hospital for life.
As I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, I’m covering this case today to bring awareness to another tragedy, the ongoing and devastating bush fires in Australia. If you would like to donate toward the Australian recovery effort there are several funds that have been set up in order to aid in different areas.
Learn about the Australian Wildfires
SHOWNOTES:
Host: Nicole Engelbrecht
Producer: Nicole Engelbrecht
Music: Snippet from Prime Circle’s
We would love to meet you on our Social media Platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Join us now. We have a lively discussion Group on Facebook.
Please support the show on Patreon
Please Support the show on PayPal
Helplines
If you’re in South Africa, you can always, always phone SADAG on 0800 456 789
24-hr trauma helpline 082-821-3447
