[Image: X/Netwerk24]
A woman found dead. A crime scene possibly staged to deceive. A wealthy, high-powered husband now accused of murder.
For nearly three years, the death of Sheri-Ann Pretorius was thought to be a suicide. But on Monday, police arrested her husband, Jacques Pretorius, at his Somerset West home in Cape Town—shattering the illusion.
The 54-year-old former banking heavyweight and founding managing director of Absa iDirect, now stands accused of premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice, News24 reports. Prosecutors believe he strangled his wife and meticulously staged the crime scene to mislead investigators.
On Tuesday, he appeared in the Somerset West Magistrate’s Court, where he was granted R5,000 bail. In an affidavit, he remained defiant: “I plead not guilty to all the charges against me.”
But the walls are closing in.
Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie confirmed that an inquest was initially opened, but as investigators dug deeper, a chilling truth emerged: “It was determined the deceased was murdered.”
A police insider told News24 that Sheri-Ann’s death wasn’t just another tragedy—it was a calculated act of violence, followed by an elaborate cover-up. She and Pretorius had only been married for six months. It was his third marriage. Now, it may be the one that will haunt him forever.
As Pretorius stood in the dock, his sister and two other family members sat in cold silence, avoiding reporters. But Sheri-Ann’s family was there, too—her devastated parents and siblings traveling from Durban and Johannesburg, demanding justice.
From the gallery, Sheri-Ann’s grandfather spoke just four words: “This is another Jason Rohde case.”
His words cut deep. Rohde, a once-prominent property mogul, was convicted in 2016 of murdering his wife and staging a fake suicide at the Spier wine estate in Stellenbosch. His original 20-year sentence was later reduced to 15.
Now, another high-profile husband stands in court, claiming innocence. But if history is any indication, the truth—no matter how well hidden—always has a way of clawing its way to the surface.
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