Crime News: "The Flower Gang Massacre"
Hoover, highpriest of the absurd
Flower Gang killer tells of four more victims
I'm not that dangerous. I killed a few people and that's no big deal'
LENORE OLIVER High Court Reporter
A man accused of taking part in the "Flower Gang" massacre of three people
on a Nieuwoudtville farm has confessed in the Cape High Court to four other
killings.
Andr Solomons was giving evidence in the trial in which he, Lastan Chavula,
Charles Adams, Johannes Bruintjies and Dawid "Doggy Dog" Ruiters are charged
with murdering Hendrina Louw, 57, Julia Fairbank-Smith, 37, and her
four-year-old daughter Emma on Mrs Louw's farm on September 24, 1996.
Earlier Mr Solomons testified that he had killed a friend, Willem Mongia,
three days before murdering Mrs Fairbank-Smith.
"But between these two dates I killed three white men and a woman," he said.
He did not name the people or say where he killed them.
"I am a scoundrel who likes to break in to homes and steal."
Later he said he did not know why people feared him. "I am not that
dangerous, I only killed a few people and that's no big deal."
He said that after he and the others were arrested, policeman Karel du Toit
warned him to co-operate or he would hurt his family.
"I knew that my family had nothing to do with the murders and I played
along."
At first he denied any knowledge of the killings.
"But Inspector Du Toit promised me he would always supply me with Mandrax
and dagga and I co-operated," Mr Solomons said.
"I thought to myself that I had already been caught and might as well do as
he wanted."
He later pointed out the place in Atlantis where he had buried Mr Mongia's
body. Mr Solomons denied earlier evidence by Mr Chavula that the gang had
decided to share responsibility for the murders to win lighter sentences.
Mr Chavula told the court Mr Solomons had killed Emma.
"Why would he say that? I did not kill the child, he did," Mr Solomons said.
"Why does he not admit that he was the one who killed the little girl?
"He is talking against me because he wants to be out of this case.
"But we are friends and we speak when we meet each other in jail."
The case continues.
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