“I believe Boontjie.”
So says the father of slain UWC student Jesse Hess as her murder trial wrapped up at the Western Cape High Court on Monday.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Voice, Lance Hess, 45, says his family has been through hell listening to what happened on the day his daughter and her 85-year-old oupa, Chris Lategan, was killed.
Their bodies were found in their Parow flat after an alleged robbery on 30 August 2019.
Both had been strangled to death, while the state revealed that Jesse was also raped during the ordeal.
Suspect David van Boven, an alleged member of the 28s gang, was arrested several months later after he was identified as the man who had raped a 16-year-old girl in Hanover Park.
He went on the run and was found hiding in Struisbaai.
The second accused Tasliem “Boontjie” Ambrose was arrested several days later.
During the explosive trial, the duo turned on each other as cops revealed the gruesome contents of their confessions despite both men pleading not guilty.
Lance says while he finally got answers about what happened on the day of the double murder, sitting in court was a nightmare.
“Listening to their statements and confessions, I have a better idea of what happened, but it was not kwaai sitting there and listening to the violent way in which my daughter died, especially because she was such a peaceful and spiritual person,” he says.
“When I heard the first statement of David, I could not sleep. It was very hurtful to hear how they were viciously attacked so that these two could fuel their drug habit. They could have just taken their stuff, why rape and kill my child?”
The dad says after the suspects turned on each other in court, he is inclined to believe Boontjie’s version of events as it seems to be more plausible than David’s.
“I believe Boontjie’s version, that David took him there and it was his (David’s) idea to attack them but I have questions.
“How could he have just watched them being killed and done nothing? The judge even asked him and I just started crying in court.”
Lance says the emotional trauma of losing his first-born daughter has forever changed him.
“The one thing I learnt as a man is to let it out and cry. As men who are expected to be strong, there’s lots of support for women but not so much for men.
“I struggled since Jesse died to come to grips with all of this, and to not let myself become depressed I reached out, I spoke to someone I trusted and I cried.
“And that is my advice to men who deal with their children being killed, just cry it out. If you can’t go to a professional, go to your pastor, your imam or your friends and family – but speak.
“I hope one day to start a support group where I can help other fathers.”
The case has been postponed to 22 March for final arguments.