On Friday, 23 April 2021 at 02:00, Trevor Murphy (55) was at his residence on Wendover Farm in Karkloof when three men attacked him and stabbed him multiple times.

They also robbed him of his valuables such as a cellphone, firearm, TV, groceries and laptops before they fled the scene in his motor vehicle. Murphy was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Charges of murder and robbery were opened for investigation at the Howick police station.

In the early hours of this morning, Howick detectives as well as the Pietermaritzburg Public Order Police Unit and security officers from Magma security, followed up on information that Trevor Murphy’s vehicle was spotted at Pietermaritzburg Central. They proceeded to the said location and spotted the vehicle with three occupants. Police officers intercepted the vehicle and a search was conducted. During the search, a 9mm pistol and clothing that were taken during the robbery were found in the vehicle. The three suspects were immediately arrested.

Following further investigation, the team proceeded to the Swapo Informal Settlement where a further two suspects were arrested. Police also seized a number of suspected stolen items for further investigation. The five suspects, aged between 25 and 47, were charged with murder and robbery and will appear in the Howick Magistrate’s Court soon.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi welcomed the speedy arrests. “Whilst we are saddened by this brutal murder at Howick, we must applaud the team from the SAPS and private security industry who worked non-stop to arrest the perpetrators. We hope that this sends a clear message to the perpetrators of such heinous crimes the police will not rest and will continue to hunt them down until they are behind bars,” said Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi.

Source: South African Police Service