The State has called several witnesses to testify during the start of pre-sentencing procedures of convicted wife killer, Jason Rohde. Earlier, the matter was delayed in the Cape Town High Court due to load shedding.
Many people were unable to gain entry to the court due to load shedding.
Rohde was convicted last month of killing his wife, Susan, at the Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch in 2016.
Pre-sentencing procedures in the trial kicked off with the state calling three witnesses in aggravation of sentence against Rohde.
Susan’s body was found in the bathroom of the plush Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch.
One of the witnesses called by the state was a social worker who compiled a victim impact report following interviews conducted with Rohde’s three daughters.
Social worker, Rian Perry, highlighted the difficulties the children are experiencing following their mother’s death.
“Even though they have lost their mother sentencing implicates their father and they do not want to lose him the undersigned probation officer discussed the reality of this conviction and possible sentencing and they know what could happen this is difficult for them to face they believe that should their father be incarcerated this would have a significant affect on them and they request the court to consider the needs of the three of them and the fact that they would be losing another parent.”
Last month, in handing down judgement, Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlope described the murder as the result of a love triangle that had ended in tragedy.
Rohde admitted to an affair with a colleague and maintained throughout that his wife was a suicide risk as a result of the affair.
Judge Salie-Hlope found that Rohde murdered his wife and then staged the scene to look like a suicide. Pre-sentencing procedures are expected to continue on Thursday.
The body of his wife Susan was found in the bathroom of their room at the plush wine estate. The couple was attending a work function at the time of her death.
