An ISIS-linked gang has been convicted of murdering British botanists Rod and Rachel Saunders in South Africa. The couple were brutally tortured and their bodies were fed to crocodiles.
Details of the Attack
Rod Saunders, 74, and his wife Rachel, 63, were ambushed while searching for rare gladioli flowers in a remote mountain range. The couple, married for over 30 years and based in Cape Town, were setting up camp beside a forest dam in the Ngoye Forest National Park when they were attacked.
The court heard that the pair were tortured for Rachel's gold credit card PIN and bank account details before being bludgeoned to death. Their bodies were wrapped in sleeping bags and thrown from the Tugela River Bridge into crocodile-infested waters.
Timeline of Events
Just 48 hours before the attack, the botanists had been interviewed by BBC presenter Nick Bailey for a Gardeners' World special in the Drakensberg Mountains. After the crew departed, the couple pulled over to prepare camp and were ambushed.
Gang ringleader Sayefundeen Del Vecchio, 44, identified them as a "good hunt" to his wife and lodger. He forced the couple to hand over bank details, killed them, and texted his wife and lodger that the "prey are in hellfire."
Post-Mortem Evidence
Post-mortem examinations revealed that Rachel was struck multiple times on the back of her skull with a machete-like blade and stabbed in the upper back. She also suffered blows from a heavy blunt instrument, which was used to cave in Rod's skull.
Both victims were stuffed into sleeping bags and thrown into the back of their Toyota Land Cruiser. They were driven to meet the wife and lodger, then to the Tugela River Bridge, where the bodies were hurled into crocodile-infested waters. The mutilated bodies were discovered washed ashore, requiring DNA analysis and dental experts for identification.
Conviction and Sentencing
Eight years after the murder, the trio were found guilty. The court heard that they went on a R734,000 spending spree using Dr. Saunders' credit card, purchased Bitcoin, and drained her savings. A shop assistant became suspicious and alerted police.
Police traced the credit card transactions to the gang, who were on a terrorist watchlist. An ISIS flag and pamphlets were found at their property. Judge Esther Steyn convicted all three of double murder, kidnap, robbery, and theft, citing DNA and mobile phone evidence. Sentencing is set for June 19, with a mandatory life sentence possible.
