A 33-year-old man accused of killing his mother at their family home in Hazelmere, appeared at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 20 November, facing charges of murder.
The suspect was arrested on Friday, 17 November, after he allegedly kept his mother’s body in the house almost four days following the alleged murder.
According to information received from Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), a landlord who owns the property, where the suspect was renting with his mother, became suspicious when she did not see the deceased, Daw Kerr, for a few days.
Head of RUSA, Prem Balram, said residents had informed the police that Kerr was last seen on Tuesday, 14 November.
“They enquired about her well-being but her son continuously provided reasons as to why she did not want to be disturbed. They confronted him and demanded to conduct a wellness check on her,” said Balram.
He said the neighbours and friends of the deceased were concerned due to a pungent smell emanating from the room. “They then approached an off-duty police officer for assistance who then contacted the RUSA Operations Centre and Verulam SAPS Charge Office,” Balram said.
According to a statement issued by RUSA, their officers were immediately dispatched and arrived on the scene with the Verulam SAPS.
“RUSA paramedics entered a room and discovered the decomposing body of 72-year-old Daw Kerr on a bed in their rented communal housing room. Her son initially informed first responders that she died due to natural causes. During an interview, the man provided reaction officers and police with various versions of events that led to Kerr’s death. After further questioning, he confirmed that his mother lived at a home in South Beach, Durban, that specialised in caring for frail individuals. She arrived at his home two weeks ago to visit him.
“He alleged that on Tuesday, 14 November, he decided to bathe her in the bathroom. He also alleged that she refused to be bathed by him and turned violent, and in a moment of anger he pushed her. The victim fell to the ground and suffered head injuries. He dressed her and placed her on the bed before cleaning the blood from the bathroom,” Balram said.
According to RUSA, the suspect kept his mother’s partially decomposing body for three nights.
“During the day, he would leave and return in the afternoon,” Balram added.
The suspect is expected to appear again at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court soon for bail application.
