Episode Details

In Episode 6 of our Family Tragedy Series, we examine the Van Breda family axe murders, one of South Africa's most infamous criminal cases. On January 27, 2015, Martin and Teresa van Breda and their eldest son, Rudi, were killed inside their highly secured Stellenbosch home. Sixteen-year-old Marli survived devastating injuries, while her brother Henri van Breda claimed a masked intruder had attacked the family. Investigators found no forced entry, no missing valuables and extensive forensic evidence that contradicted Henri's account, including blood spatter linking him closely to multiple attack scenes.

In 2018, Henri was convicted of three murders, attempted murder and obstructing justice and received three life sentences. His appeals ultimately reached South Africa's Constitutional Court, which rejected his final bid in 2019. Yet his girlfriend and some relatives continued supporting him, while the motive behind the killings remains unresolved.