A Dullstroom man who faked amnesia in a bid to get away with murdering his wife was on Thursday jailed for 20 years.
Acting Pretoria High Court Judge Chris Eksteen said Johan Riekert (43) had not only faked amnesia and tried to put the blame on his wife and mother-in-law, but had showed no remorse for his actions.
He said Riekert had tried to hide behind a shield he built for himself and there was no indication of any open-hearted acceptance of his offences.
Riekert’s wife, Riekie, died in a hail of bullets in March 2007 at the trout store in Dullstroom where she worked when he opened fire on her after unsuccessfully trying to convince her not to divorce him.
When she fell through a window after the first few shots, Riekert followed her and fired a final shot at her where she lay helpless on the ground.
She told Riekert three days before her death she wanted a divorce and kicked him out of the house. She also complained to her mother that he had threatened to shoot her.
Riekert had lost his job as a sales representative and his wife was the only breadwinner, working in the trout store and making clothes after hours to keep them going.
Eksteen said the court was surprised to hear Riekert had apparently initially tendered a plea of guilty, which the state refused to accept, as he had repeatedly maintained his innocence in court.
Life imprisonment was not applicable, even though the murder had been premeditated, because of the emotions and stress factors that where present, the judge said.
”You tore away the life of a person. You permanently deprived your children of a mother — a mother who toiled until late at night to supplement her salary because you were not capable of providing for your family.”
Eksteen said Riekert was clearly a jealous man and probably wanted to bring home the idea that if he could not get her, no one else would.
”You had a warped sense of love.”
Riekert not only destroyed his wife’s life, but also his own and that of his children, Eksteen said.
The murdered woman’s mother, Hannie Hietbrink, said the family would now finally be able to bury her daughter’s ashes on their farm and put up a headstone.
Her grandchildren now stayed with her, but were still receiving counselling.
They were at this stage not prepared to have any contact with their father, Hietbrink said. – Sapa