The murder of one family in Cape Town by a laughing man with an axe

News24xx.com -  A 22-year-old South African man pleaded not guilty in a Cape Town court on Monday April 24 2017, after murdering three members of his family in their luxury home in Cape Town in January 2015. He saying the crime was committed by a laughing man with an axe.

Henri van Breda, who handed himself over the police in September last year, is accused of murdering his father Martin, 54, a wealthy businessman,  his mother Teresa, 55, and older brother Rudi, 22, in a frenzied early morning axe attack in the heart of South Africa’s western Cape vineyard area on January 27 of that year.

The family had recently returned to South Africa after emigrating to Perth in 2006. His younger sister Marli, who was 16 at the time of the attack, was left for dead on a balcony with severe head injuries.

Van Breda entered a plea of not guilty to three counts of murder.

In his plea explanation, van Breda said that he was watching an animated show after his family had gone to bed for the night.

He later went to the toilet and heard loud banging sounds. He opened the door and saw a silhouette attacking his brother with an axe.

His father then entered the room and tried to pull the attacker away. "The attacker was laughing," Mr van Breda's statement said. "I heard my mother’s voice saying 'what is going on'."

Mr van Breda claims he wrestled the axe away from the attacker. The man then used a knife to slash Mr van Breda's chest and left arm.

Mr van Breda said he struck the attacker with the axe. He remembers seeing his brother writhing on the bed and hearing angry voices, speaking in Afrikaans.

Mr van Breda says he passed out and when he woke up, he saw his sister moving and his brother making gurgling sounds. He panicked and had a cigarette to calm down. van Breda fell down the stairs. He saw the kitchen door was open and believed there were at least two attackers.

He couldn't remember the number for emergency services and called his girlfriend instead. She didn’t answer.

When he finally made contact with emergency services, he did his best to remain calm. He spoke calmly, he said, to allow the operator to understand his Australian accent.

Van Breda told the police he thought the intruder was a black person.

Marli van Breda, who has been living with other members of the extended family, has amnesia and is unable to recall the incident.

Mr Van Breda, who is out on bail, has agreed not to contact witnesses, including his sister. He is also forbidden from being within 500 metres of an airport or a harbour.