Meghan Cremer accused acquitted of murder but guilty of theft

26 January 2023 - 18:10
By Philani Nombembe
Meghan Cremer was an avid horse rider. File photo.
Image: Facebook/Meghan Cremer Meghan Cremer was an avid horse rider. File photo.

The man accused of killing avid horse rider Meghan Cremer, who vanished after leaving her home in Cape Town, was on Thursday acquitted of her murder.

Jeremy Sias was arrested after Cremer's remains were found in August 2019 and stood trial in the high court in Cape Town.

He had pleaded not guilty to murder, saying he found Cremer's body in her car boot after taking it for a drive on the day she went missing.

Jeremy Sias. File photo.
Image: Anthony Molyneaux Jeremy Sias. File photo.

The court acquitted Sias of murder but found him guilty of theft and defeating the administration of justice.

CCTV cameras had recorded Cremer leaving home on the Vaderlandsche Rietvlei farm in Ottery just after 6pm on a Saturday.

At the time a friend, Linda Mohr, told TimesLIVE that Meghan was “snuggled up and ready for bed”, playing with her new dog, when they spoke by phone earlier that evening.

Cremer worked as a manager at a bakery in Woodstock, grew up in Knysna and studied microbiology at Rhodes University.

Sias, a farm labourer, was born on the farm where his parents had worked. He grew up alongside the owner’s children.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: "[He was] acquitted of murder but convicted on two counts of theft and defeating the administration of justice. We accept the decision of the court.”

The matter was postponed to March 14 for sentencing.

TimesLIVE