The De Aar regional court in the Northern Cape on Friday sentenced Brian Tree to life imprisonment for stabbing his neighbour.
The court ruled that Patrick Sampson’s killing was premeditated murder and pronounced on Tree’s guilt verdict.
According to the police report, on August 21, 2021 the deceased was at his neighbour’s house before he later left. This is according to two witnesses who were also in the neighbour’s house.
The report further detailed that later after Sampson had left, he came back running and went straight to the kitchen. A 13-year-old was in the kitchen at the time.
Tree then entered the house and went straight to Sampson and attacked him, with the child in the kitchen witnessing the attack.
Child (13) witnessed the stabbing
Police spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said: “Due to the commotion in the kitchen, the 13-year-old eyewitness’s mother came out of her bedroom and together with her daughter saw the accused stab the deceased once in the chest.
“The autopsy later revealed that the deceased had four wounds, the chest wound being the cause of death. The police were alerted, and the accused was arrested and charged with murder.”
At the beginning of the trial despite overwhelming evidence against him, Tree denied the accusation of stabbing brought before him.
According to the accused’s version of events, on the day of the incident the deceased made a nuisance of himself. Tree, the accused, indicated to the court that he talked calmly to him and the deceased went back into the house free of any injuries.
Tree further claimed that his neighbour later called to inform him about Sampson’s death, for which he vehemently denied responsibility.
