Trial for murder of Chivago Fillies postponed

Update

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The murder trial of the three young men accused of killing the 31-year-old Chivago Leigh Fillies in June 2024 has been postponed.

Fillies was attacked and beaten in the early hours of 29 June that year as he was walking home from a night out with some friends. Fillies died of his injuries in hospital the following day.

The Da Gamaskop Police arrested Jemandry Braaff, Ushere Apdol and Aubrey-Junior Nickleo Mentoor that same day.

They were meant to stand trial for Fillies’ murder in the Mossel Bay Regional Court today, 23 March, however, Apdol was not present. The court heard he was in custody in another matter, and thus the trial was postponed to 12 October.

Helga Goosen, the state prosecutor in the case, told the court one of the accused persons, or his mother, had allegedly made contact with one of the state witnesses in the case.

The magistrate, Jerome Koeries, warned both Mentoor and Braaff they were not to have direct or indirect contact with any of the state witnesses. He said if the court received an affidavit that any of the accused had been in contact with state witnesses, the court may, upon an application, issue a warrant for their arrest.

Both the accused and Fillies’ friends and families were present in court today.

All three accused had been out on R2 000 bail each until Apdol was taken into custody on the other matter.

Braaff and Mentoor’s bail has been extended. Apdol’s bail has been provisionally forfeited to the State. He is set to appear in the regional court on Wednesday 25 March, as he did not appear today.

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