Najwa Petersen fired the shot that killed her husband, Taliep, in December last year, the Wynberg Regional Court heard on Wednesday.
Investigating officer Captain Joe Dryden gave the court a graphic account of Petersen’s last moments when he was called to testify in opposition to a bail application.
He said Najwa Petersen arranged for two hired killers to come to the Petersen family home in Athlone, Cape Town, on the night of December 16.
When they arrived they found the security gate unlocked and tiptoed upstairs where they discovered Taliep watching cricket on television.
They held him and while they were doing so Najwa came into the room and embraced him.
Dryden testified that one of the alleged hired killers, Waheed Hassen, said later he found it strange that she would do that.
They forced Taliep to the ground, tied his hands with cable and Najwa helped tie his feet with a doily from a table.
Hassen stuffed a glove into Taliep’s mouth to prevent him making a noise and Najwa at that point stroked his face.
Dryden said that according to Hassen, he fetched a cushion from an adjoining bedroom.
Najwa took the 9mm pistol the men had brought with them, Hassen covered the pistol with the cushion to muffle the noise and she shot Taliep in the neck.
There were horrified gasps and exclamations from the public gallery at Dryden’s words.
The magistrate, who had earlier warned against outbursts ordered, the public gallery cleared.
Earlier the court heard that although Najwa was reportedly suicidal, there was no evidence that being in prison would increase the risk.
Dr Larissa Panieri-Peter, who runs the maximum security unit at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town, was testifying in the bail application by Najwa.
Two psychiatrists called by the defence on Tuesday testified that she was a high suicide risk and ought not to be held at Pollsmoor prison.
Panieri-Peter said that bipolar mood disorder, which Najwa has been diagnosed as having, was affected by stress.
”Containment” and a regular routine could be very helpful for a sufferer and was well recognised as helping prevent relapse.
For a psychiatrist to send a high suicide-risk patient home and to try to manage her in that environment would, in fact, be considered negligence.
Panieri-Peter said she found it odd that someone who had so severe a mood disorder that she allegedly could not be held in a cell, did not suffer a relapse when her husband was murdered in the family home.
”That is incongruous to the alleged severity of the diagnosis,” she said.
People who had ”brittle” and severe bipolar mood disorder relapsed easily and frequently.
The death of a spouse, no matter how conflictual the relationship, was considered one of the most stressful events possible.
The court also heard on Wednesday that Petersen’s defence team turned down an offer by the prosecution of a bed at Valkenberg for an observation period to determine if she was fit to stand trial.
Also applying for bail is one of Najwa’s three co-accused, Abdoer Mjedi.
The other two are not applying for bail. — Sapa