A young Pretoria waiter told the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday that he decided to shoot his brother because he was furious about what he perceived to be an attempt by his brother to frame him for the murder of his parents.
Karl Greyvensteyn (21) admitted that he had murdered his brother, Christo, in their Lynnwood Glen home on the night of July 6, 2000, but denied that he had murdered his parents, quantity surveyor Otto Greyvensteyn and his wife Erika, as well.
Greyvensteyn testified that he had lived with his girlfriend in Jeffrey’s Bay for more than a month, but had returned home after their relationship soured.
He denied earlier evidence that his relationship with his parents was not good. He got along very well with his mother and they did a lot of things together. His father was not happy about him giving up his university studies, but had promised to pay for a deep-sea diving course.
He did not have a good relationship with his brother at all and they often fought about bicycles, clothes and sport.
”I always had better bikes than him and I could ride a bike better than him… I think he was jealous,” he said.
He claimed his relationship with his parents was particularly good a week before the incident, when his brother was away on holiday.
He said there had been an argument between his mother and brother on the afternoon before the murder.
His mother did not want his brother to borrow her car to visit his girlfriend and his brother had sworn at her and said he would use his bicycle.
According to Greyvensteyn, he and his parents had a quiet meal together and watched television before his parents went to bed.
His brother arrived shortly after midnight and watched television with him.
After he went to sleep, he was woken by two or three shots and immediately ran to his parents’ room, asking them what had happened.
”They did not answer. I saw them lying on the bed. They were not moving. There was blood on their faces. I ran to my brother’s room, but he was not there. I found him standing on a chair at the bar.
”I asked him what the fuck was going on, as mom and dad had been shot.
”He said fuck off, leave my alone. He pushed me aside and went out of the room.
”It was impossible that he did not know anything. I climbed on the chair and looked in the ceiling where I found a pistol and a pair of my gloves.
”I immediately thought he was busy framing me.
”I became enraged, furious. I took the gun and ran into the house to search for my brother so that I could shoot him.
”I found him in his bedroom. He was lying on the bed. I fired a shot and then ran to the bed and fired another shot at him,” he said.
After hiding the firearm again, Greyvensteyn realised that he had shot his brother and that his parents had been shot.
As his hands were sweaty, he went to the tap to ”wash off my innocence.”
To a question by the judge, he said he had washed off the residue.
Greyvensteyn admitted that he had told lies to the police and his aunt and tried to pin the blame on someone else after the incident, but said he was afraid to tell them that he had shot his
brother.
He said he had pointed out the firearm and the gloves, because he wanted to show the police that his brother used the gloves. He felt his brother had used gloves to make it look as if he (Karl) had shot his parents.
He said he had not worn gloves when he fired shots at his brother and could not explain why his fingerprints were not found on the weapon.
His advocate, Hennie de Vos, SC, told the court expert evidence would be presented on this aspect.
Greyvensteyn also admitted that he had told the Magistrate’s Court in a statement that he could not remember what happened after seeing his parents so that he could be referred to Weskoppies Hospital.
To some sharp questions by the judge, he said he could remember exactly what happened, but had made the statement on the advice of his attorney.
Asked how he felt about the murders, he said: ”Not a day goes by that I do not think of my parents.
”I miss them terribly. I wish I had not shot my brother, because then it would not have been me standing here today, but him.
”I’m very sorry that I shot my brother. I wish I had not done it.” – Sapa