Knowing that he had bludgeoned the mother of his children to death and dumped her body down a stormwater drain, Johnny Baartman kept silent about his ex-wife Desiree Baartman's death for more than a week, watching how a desperate and frantic search to find her unfolded.
While traumatised family and friends searched for Desiree, 57, Baartman, 59, knew that he had wrapped her head "in a few towels due to the excessive bleeding" after he murdered her.
He placed her body in a sleeping bag before loading her into the back seat of his car before driving to the stormwater drain past the Booysen Park area, where he prayed the drain cover open with a pick-axe, and tossed her inside.
On Friday, Desiree's family battled to bite back tears when Baartman was sentenced to 25 years in prison on a charge of murder and five years for defeating the ends of justice.
Judge Hannelie Bakker ordered that the sentences run concurrently, which means that Baartman will spend an effective 25 years behind bars.
He was sentenced per a plea agreement he had entered into with the state, which was read into the court record.
There were gasps from the public gallery inside the court when it came to light that the argument that set the murder in motion was seemingly over the switching of the television channel.
Baartman murders Desiree
According to Baartman, he arrived at the couple's home in Nagel Street, in Bethelsdorp after 18:00 on 12 June last year.
He bought painkillers and electricity at a nearby store and decided to nap in his bedroom when he got home.
Desiree was preparing a meal in the kitchen, so Baartman avoided her as the couple were, according to him, not on speaking terms.
Baartman said he woke up after 21:00, went into the lounge, and noticed that the television was on, but Desiree was not watching.
He changed the channel to the sports channel.
It is Baartman's version that Desiree confronted him in an "aggressive" manner about changing the channel and that he tried to explain that he had not been aware that she was watching television.
He said Desiree "verbally abused" him. He removed himself from the situation by going to his car to fetch a pie and juice he had bought earlier.
According to the plea, the argument was exacerbated when Desiree locked the kitchen door behind Baartman, leaving him to bang on the door to regain entrance.
When Desiree eventually opened the door she verbally abused Baartman and hurled profanities at him to get him to leave the house, according to his plea.
"I squeezed past the deceased, whereafter she smacked me on the back of my head.
"I thereafter grabbed her by the throat and throttled her. I grabbed a wooden pickaxe handle that was kept at the side of the kitchen door."
In their scuffle, the Baartmans moved towards the passage area leading to the bedrooms.
Before they fell to the ground, Desiree grabbed an ornamental Absolute Vodka Bottle in an attempt to "assault" Baartman with it, but he grabbed it from her hand and whilst sitting on top of her, assaulted her, mostly on her head.
"I thereafter started to beat the deceased with the pickaxe wooden handle, continuously, on the upper body area, mostly on her head.
"I noticed that the deceased was not moving, and I got up."
"Shocked" and "bewildered" Baartman got into his car and intended to drive to his sister's home in Kariega to tell her what he had done.
While driving he missed the Kariega turnoff and stopped where the road ended.
He got out of the car to compose himself, and this is where he noticed the stormwater drain.
He decided to move Desiree's body into the drain.
Upon returning home, Baartman described wrapping Desiree's head in a "few towels" due to all of the blood and how he had eventually driven her to the drain where he dumped her.
He then drove around and only returned home around 04:00 on 13 June and admitted to cleaning the blood-stained areas inside the house.
What happened after the murder
By 14 June Desiree's son insisted that Baartman go to report her missing at the Bethelsdorp Police Station.
This was after all his efforts to trace his mother had proved futile.
Baartman called Warrant Officer Killian on 15 June, to confess. Killian is said to have told him that he would be there the following day.
Large-scale searches ensued and prayer meetings were held to pray for her safety.
By 20 June, Baartman led police to the place where he dumped Desiree's body.
By then, he was already in custody.
Baartman states: "I submit that I initially acted in self-defence, but was thereafter so overcome with rage that I started to beat the deceased continuously on her head and body with the direct intention to kill her."
A family in mourning
Desiree's brothers, her two children, extended family, and friends attended the sentencing.
They wept as details of her dying moments came to light.
Speaking after the sentence her brother, Donovan Arries said the family is still battling to navigate through this difficult period, stating that it was tough on everyone.
"We have to find a way of moving forward.
"Unfortunately, nothing will bring her back."
Touching on the issue of Gender Based Violence, he said the Courts should look into revising the sentences handed down.
"We cannot have such brutality towards women."
Baartman's children as well as his brother and his sister-in-law were afforded a brief moment to say their goodbyes before he was escorted back to the holding cells.
