Three members of an ISIS-linked gang have been convicted of murdering British botanists Rod Saunders and Rachel Saunders and dumping their bodies in a crocodile-infested river in South Africa, ending more than eight years of unsolved case.The Durban High Court found Saifundine Del Vecchio, 44, his wife Bibi Patel, 34, and their lodger Musa Jackson, 40, guilty of double murder, kidnapping, robbery and theft after hearing evidence from almost 60 witnesses over 160 court days. Daily Mail has given the news.The pair, aged 74 and 63 respectively, disappeared while searching for rare gladioli flowers in the KwaZulu-Natal province in February 2018.
Couple targeted during seed campaign
Rod and Rachel Saunders were internationally known botanists and owners of the Cape Town-based seed company Silverhill Seeds. He regularly traveled throughout South Africa collecting rare plant species and lecturing on the country’s flora.The court heard the couple had traveled almost 900 miles from Cape Town and recently filmed with a BBC documentary team led by presenter Nick Bailey in the Drakensberg Mountains before continuing their expedition into the Ngoye Forest National Park.Prosecutors said Del Vecchio identified the couple as a target while they were camping in remote woods. Phone records show he contacted Patel and Jackson, calling the pair “good hunters” and later sending messages indicating the victims had been killed.
tortured for banking details
The court heard the pair were kidnapped and forced to hand over banking information before being murdered.Post mortem examinations found that Rachel Saunders had suffered multiple stab wounds to the back of her head, multiple stab wounds and severe blunt-force injuries. Rod Saunders died from severe head injuries.After the murders, the victims were wrapped in sleeping bags and placed in their stolen Toyota Land Cruiser.The three defendants then drove to the Tugela River Bridge, where the bodies were thrown into the crocodile-infested river in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.When the remains were finally recovered, decomposition and animal predation had damaged them so badly that investigators needed DNA analysis and dental records to identify the victims.
Spending spree led police to suspects
Investigators discovered the gang when they used Rachel Saunders’s credit cards and bank accounts to spend almost R734,000 (£37,000).The trio bought Bitcoin and transferred the funds from the couple’s accounts before being noticed by a suspicious shop employee, who alerted authorities.Police followed financial leads to the suspects’ home, where officers recovered the victims’ phones, jewellery, laptops, camping equipment and a stolen vehicle. Blood found inside the Toyota Land Cruiser was later matched to that of the couple.
ISIS material found during raid
All three accused were already on the terrorist watch list.During a raid on his property, members of South Africa’s elite crime unit the Hawks found an ISIS flag along with extremist literature. Despite alleged ties to ISIS ideology, prosecutors did not press terrorism-related charges.WhatsApp messages shown in court were attributed to Del Vecchio and called the victims “infidels”, while directing that their bodies should never be found.Judge Esther Steyn said cellphone data, DNA evidence, witness testimony and circumstantial evidence proved the involvement of all three defendants beyond reasonable doubt.The judge said, “The pieces of the puzzle fit together exactly,” and found that all three worked together in carrying out the murders.Sentencing is scheduled for June 19. Under South African law, all three face the possibility of life in prison.