'I raped and killed her' - Franziska Blochliger's attacker finally admits guilt

30 May 2017 - 15:27 By Petru Saal And Aron Hyman
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Franziska Blöchliger was murdered in Tokai forest. file photo.
Franziska Blöchliger was murdered in Tokai forest. file photo.
Image: Image by: Ruvan Boshoff

Howard Oliver has finally admitted to killing and raping teenager Franziska Blochliger - more than 14 months after her body was found at Tokai Forest in Cape Town.

Oliver‚ from Westlake‚ made his admission at the High Court in Cape Town on Tuesday where he is on trial for rape‚ robbery and murder.

In an affidavit handed to the court‚ he explained how he grabbed the 16-year-old jogger from behind and dragged her into fynbos at Tokai Forest.

“When I dragged her body deep enough into the fynbos so that no one could see us. I went through the process of removing the cell phone‚ earphones and ring from her. I saw a watch on her when I grabbed her but when I looked for it I could not find it‚” said his affidavit.

  • Lawyer withdraws in the Franziska Blöchliger caseThe highly anticipated murder trial of Franziska Blöchliger came to a surprise halt on Monday afternoon. 

He admitted to using shoes laces to tie her hands and gag her. He then pushed her face down into the ground‚ removed her clothing and proceeded to rape her.

“Before leaving her I discovered that she was not breathing. My legal representative informed me that the post mortem noted the cause of death as suffocation by pressing the face against the ground and manual throttling.”

He had earlier pleaded not guilty to the rape and murder charges.

Earlier this month Jared Van Wyk‚ who was part of a search party looking for Blochliger‚ said that her body was still warm when he came across it.

  • READ MORE: Franziska's body was still warm when they found herA year after her death‚ the murder trial of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger is underway in the Western Cape High Court.

Blöchliger went jogging in Tokai forest in March 7‚ 2016. She had arranged to meet her mother after her run but when she did not arrive the family started to worry. A search ensued and her body was found.

Her iPhone‚ watch‚ headset and diamond ring were missing.

Judge Katharina Savage adjourned the trial until Wednesday when she is expected to deliver her judgment.

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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