Cape Town – A man from Gqeberha, Johnny Baartman, who is accused of murdering his ex-wife, Desiree Baartman, has expressed his desire to reveal everything about the crime in court.
Johnny had reported Desiree missing, but her body was later found in a stormwater drain near Stanford Road.
During his court appearance on Wednesday, 21 June, Johnny dressed in the same attire as before, seemed emotionally fragile and had self-inflicted wounds on his wrists, News24 reported.
His legal representative requested that he be placed in isolation to prevent self-harm and mentioned his need for medication for hypertension and cholesterol.
The court ruled that he could see the district surgeon and be held in the hospital section of the prison.
The case was postponed to June 26.
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Johnny currently faces charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice, and an autopsy is yet to determine the cause of Desiree’s death.
Desiree had been missing since June 9.
The Eastern Cape police, along with the K9 Search and Rescue Unit and the Diving Unit, located her body 3.7 metres deep in a stormwater drain next to Standford Road near the Jagtersvlakte area on Tuesday night.
“At about 9pm on Tuesday night SAPS Betheldorp detectives with the assistance of the K9 Search and Rescue and Diving Unit recovered the victim’s body which was thrown down a 3.7 metre storm water drain.
“An autopsy will be done to determine the exact cause of death,” provincial police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said.
Johnny, 58, was initially arrested for attempted murder while she was still missing, but the charge has been upgraded to murder.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
