Doreen Loubser
The murder trial of Vicki Terblanche continued in the Gqeberha High Court on Tuesday, with the state calling Dylan Cullis to the stand. Cullis, who is already serving time for his role in the murder said it was Vicki's boyfriend Reinhardt who committed the crime.
Cullis, who is serving an 18-year prison sentence, testified about how he met the state's 204 witness, Mario de Ridder Jnr, about a month before the murder and Leach a week prior.
He said they all did drugs, including Vicki, who snorted "CAT" which he described as a cheaper version of cocaine, on the day of her death, while he described Leach's preference as tik and mandrax.
Cullis, who appeared calm and composed in the witness box, locked eyes with Leach on more than one occasion. He told the court that Leach wanted to get his hands on a gun and eventually obtained a .22 calibre which he cocked before firing two shots out of the car window while driving down Seaview Road.
Cullis said Leach told them in the car that he got the gun to kill Vicki as she was getting a divorce and was due R5 million in the settlement. Cullis said he just assumed it was Vicki's husband who wanted her dead but he did not take it seriously as they were all under the influence.
He said they went back to Vicki's home, where they played X-box, using more drugs when Leach asked to go for another drive.
According to Cullis, Leach confessed that he could not shoot Vicki and that Mario de Ridder then suggested they give her drugs in the hope that she would choke in her vomit, making it look like an overdose.
He testified that Leach gave him money to go and buy Percocet,t which he got from someone who had illegal prescriptions. He said he bought 40 tablets at R2 each.
Back at Vicki's house, they each took two tablets and continued playing Xbox while smoking Mandrax and Tik. Cullis said that by now, they had about 25 tablets left, which Leach then crushed with his phone, pouring them into a glass of Berocca.
Cullis told the court that Leach returned half an hour later, stating that he gave Vicki the concoction, had sex with her and that everything was going according to plan. He later heard Vicki gagging while Leach was fast asleep. He said he first looked around for the gun, hoping that Leach would not wake up.
He tried waking Vicki by pulling on her legs, and once she opened her eyes, he picked her up and dragged her to the spare bedroom, where he placed her in the recovery position with the duvet behind her back so she would not roll back on her bed.
He said when he took her to the bedroom, her eyes kept rolling back in her head, and she could hardly walk and was unstable.
According to Cullis' testimony, he tried to figure out what to do when he fell asleep next to Vicki. He only woke up when a confused and agitated Leach entered the room. Cullis said both he and Vicki were fully dressed, but Leach confronted him by asking if he had had sex with his girlfriend.
Cullis said an angry Leach told him to finish the job, but he could not.
According to him, Leach then tucked Vicki into the blanket before getting on top of her, holding her arms and thighs in place with his legs and arms. He then grabbed a pillow and smothered Vicki, gesturing with his elbow.
Cullis said Vicki screamed but eventually stopped moving.
Soon after, Leach and de Ridder grabbed Vicki's belongings and filled the boot with her clothes, bags and other goods they intended to sell.
For two day,s Vicki's body remained in the spare bedroom while desperate plans were made to get rid of her body.
On 20 October, Leach instructed Cullis and De Ridder to change Vicki's clothing while he reversed the BMW into the garage. Cullis said they struggled to get her body into the boot.
He further testified about going to the Moffat on Main Lifestyle Centre to go Go-Karting as Leach insisted they needed an alibi.
Cullis said they finally got a man called 'Peanut' to dig a grave for R1 200.
They met at the Chelsea Sports Bar, where Peanut pointed out the grave.
Cullis said Leach had instructed him to help move the body, but he was scared of them and offered to be the lookout while they buried her.
He said he had never met Vicki's husband, Arnold, before and saw him for the first time when they appeared in court in November of 2021 after Terblanche was arrested.
A pathologist who testified last week ruled Vicki died as a result of toxic levels of drugs in her system.
Cullis is still under oath and will continue his testimony on Wednesday.
To keep up to date with the case follow the Algoa FM News Exclusive Podcast series Journey-to-Justice, with new episodes every Friday.
