Murder or suicide – that is the question!
A Durban family is struggling to come to terms with the death of their 23-year-old son at New Year this year. Terence Pillay asks whether it was suicide or murder.
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While the New Year started with promise for most South Africans, a Durban family woke up to the tragic news that their son had died. The news that 23-year-old Desmond Roberts had died of two stab wounds to his chest and his throat was slit shocked the people who knew him. Roberts was allegedly murdered at the flat he shared with a friend in Escombe in Queensburgh.
At the time, police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said that an inquest docket had been opened but the case had subsequently been changed to a murder investigation.
Suzie Roeland whose daughter dated Roberts and has a two-year-old daughter with him says she was in complete disbelief when she heard the news. She had spoken to Roberts earlier that day and he gave no indication that anything was amiss.
According to the police, a woman who is believed to be Desmond’s girlfriend at the time alleges she found him stabbing himself in the chest and ran to call the landlord for help. When she got back she says she found him slitting his throat.
But Roberts’ family is adamant that he was not suicidal. Roeland says they were also receiving no information from the police so Roberts’ mother started a GoFundMe account to employ the services of Durban Private Investigator Brad Nathanson.
Nathanson says the police at station level can’t be blamed for the slow-moving investigation because the problem is way above their pay grade. The actual problem lies with the forensic and pathology departments who he says are back-logged and can’t get to cases in time.
In the meantime, the family is left not knowing whether Roberts’ death was actually a suicide or a gruesome murder.
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