Gruesome murder belies backgrounds

TWO were community leaders, one a boy who hung out with gangsters to pick up girls and another a once sickly child desperate for a place to belong.

All are killers.

The four men, who on Monday will be sentenced for the brutal killing of a young Port Elizabeth signwriter, were joined in the murder by a drug dealer who pushed pain-killers in exchange for booze.

A sixth man, a former street child who cleaned the gang home to make ends meet, was found guilty of assault and theft after the murder.

Yesterday, following a six- year investigation and trial, they were hardened veterans of the courtroom, joking and posting Facebook updates.

In October last year the men were convicted of crimes relating to the cruel death of Bloemendal signwriter Chevan Petersen, 20, on March 16 2008.

He was beaten and stabbed 49 times before his badly mangled body was left under a streetlight in what state prosecutor Joel Sesar said was "a message" to a rival gang.

With heavily armed members of the police's tactical response team asked to keep an eye out for the presence of rival gang members, investigating officers recalled how they spent hours tracking down terrified witnesses.

Four of the six – Brenville Kamineth, Elton Sampson, Christopher Plaatjies and Lorenzo Thorne – were found guilty on charges of murder and kidnapping, while Romano Matthews was found guilty of murder and Bjorn Jordaan on charges of theft and assault.

Then only 15, Jordaan stole a ring off the dying man's hand.

Petersen's family told social worker Willemien van Niekerk his gruesome death had ruined Christmas for them as it was also his birthday.

The scene of the murder, 100 Denson Street, Bethelsdorp, was allegedly a notorious drug post at the time run by the Ah Shene gang. By the time police arrived on the scene the house had been "cleaned up", Sesar said, but even so it still "looked like a bloodbath".

Attorney Hennie Bence, who appeared for the men, said Kamineth and Sampson were only convicted of murder because they "failed to stop" the killing and should receive a lighter sentence.

Sesar, however, said the state believed the two were the leading figures in the attack, giving the orders.

Thorne, 23, is the only one with a serious previous conviction – of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

His grandmother, Laurna Thorne, told Van Niekerk he would often arrive home with gold chains and jackets, saying his friends had treated him.

She said her grandson was a sickly child, born with a hole in his heart. "He did not handle stressful circumstances well."

Sampson, 34, was described in a pre-sentence report as a responsible father of two.

"He is considered a hero as he dedicates his time towards assisting the youth," neighbour Marlona Thorn told social worker Busisiwe Kani.

Sampson told Kani he regularly attended church.

Matthews, 28, told a social worker he was looking for a happy marriage and wanted to become an accountant. Neighbours said he was hardworking, honest and reliable.

He told social worker Allistair Heilbron he noticed his friends who belonged to the Ah Shene gang had no problem attracting girls, and thought he would take advantage of their misconception that he too was a gang member.

He admitted having fathered four children with different women.

Plaatjies, 24, said he was shot four times during a robbery in 2012. A bullet was left in his chest. He started drinking heavily to deal with the pain. He then started a barter agreement with a drug dealer where he would sell Painstill tablets on the street for R1 a tablet in exchange for alcohol.

Jordaan was kicked out of home when he refused to go to school and was taken in by friends of his mother.

He told social worker Glendaline Selyker he assisted with chores in a house in Bloemendal known as a hangout for the Ah Shene gang and was paid in money, clothes and shoes.

Kamineth, 31, told social worker Sonwabile Mavuso he had fathered five children with five different women.

He was studying towards a diploma in human resources management when he was arrested. He also ran a soup kitchen in Bloemendal and a licensed tavern, Topaz Place. - Estelle Ellis