Shocking details emerge in court of pregnant Paarl woman's murder

02 February 2017 - 13:46 By Aron Hyman
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The Paarl man accused of murdering his pregnant girlfriend allegedly made an incision in her lower abdomen.

MOM FRANTIC: Nicola Pienaar has been missing since January 5
MOM FRANTIC: Nicola Pienaar has been missing since January 5

This means Jacobus Oosthuizen‚ 32‚ could face an additional charge of attempted murder.

Oosthuizen appeared briefly in the Paarl Magistrates Court on Thursday for murder‚ motor vehicle theft‚ and the theft of his girlfriend's mother's petrol card.

Nicola Pienaar‚ a 28-year-old psychologist's assistant‚ was found dead 25 days after she was reported missing by her mother‚ Marlaine Pienaar-Vice.

State prosecutor Nathan Johnson said the State is waiting on post-mortem and DNA reports.

Johnson said the post-mortem would establish whether the unborn child's heart had stopped beating when Pienaar was strangled.

Pienaar was six months pregnant at the time of her murder‚ which is believed to have taken place on the night of January 6.

Oosthuizen was first arrested at a KFC in Port Elizabeth on January 22.

He was reportedly on his way to see his ex-girlfriend but when contacted by TMG Digital‚ the woman said she had not spoken to him in a long time.

Pienaar-Vice sobbed during proceedings. She was surrounded by family and friends. Her daughter's body was found under rubble in the backyard of the house where Oosthuizen lived with his parents.

Oosthuizen's legal aid attorney indicated they would not be filing a formal bail request yet.

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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