Cape Town - Twin sisters Alexa and Alicia Jooste on Monday gave a heartbreaking account of how the death of their beloved sister and mother of four, 49-year-old Charlene October, has altered their lives.
Their statements were handed to the court as arguments were heard to determine a suitable sentence for Charlene’s ex-husband, Elim businessman Ashley October, and co-accused Tashwell van der Rhede.
Charlene’s body was discovered by her eldest son on July 12 last year as he heard the cries of his daughter inside her Protea Street home. Charlene had been strangled but the crime scene was made to look like a suicide.
October and Van der Rhede were last week convicted of murder in the Western Cape High Court after the State proved they had staged the murder as a robbery and suicide.
In her victim impact statement that Alexa read out in court, she said: “Charlene’s funeral was on July 23. Ashley was in front of the church, at my mother’s house showing compassion. He went to view her in the coffin and even helped to bury her at the grave site.
“We are broken as a family. We have tried to live our lives as normal as possible but it is impossible. How do you go on if your loved one was killed in such a cruel way? How do you mourn your loved one without justice being done?
“I hope and wish that you sit with this guilt for the rest of your life and that you will never experience freedom. Our beloved is dead, your family can still visit you, we have to go to a grave,” she said.
Alicia echoed her sister’s sentiments. In her victim impact statement, she said: “Charlene was only ever guilty of loving this man, despite the abuse (that I have witnessed) and the negative impact his presence made in her life – she didn't deserve this.
“Charlene, as in many typical working family homes, doubled up in the role of a mother figure to us. We would often run to her when in trouble and in need of comfort. During my adult years she was the person I spoke to that helped me.
“She paved the way for us to find our own voices, to be fearless while trembling in our boots, to be brave while being not too sure of what will follow next. Our family is broken, we are torn apart – we are happy with the verdict but this came as a result of my sisters’ death,” she said.
State advocate Leon Snyman argued for October to be sentenced to life imprisonment, while asking the court to deviate from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment for Van der Rhede due to his playing open cards with the police.
Advocate Snyman said as a result of his information, certain evidence was uncovered as he took the court into his confidence.
October’s lawyer, Dorian Van Zyl, argued that because he was the primary caregiver of his two minor children with Charlene, there were compelling circumstances to deviate from life imprisonment.
Outside court, Van Zyl said they intended to appeal both the conviction and sentence once handed down by the court.
rafieka.williams@inl.co.za