Staff Reporter
NATASHA Miller, a neighbour of a 53-year-old man, Vernon Gavin, who had been raped, murdered and robbed, testified before High Court Judge Philanda Christiaan, recounting the horrific discovery which led to the arrest of two suspects who were found with the deceased’s phone.
According to the State, Gavin was murdered at his residence on 30 December 2023 at Fairway Golf Course in Walvis Bay, while drinking beer and smoking cigarettes and chilling with two accused men, namely Quanito van Vuuren (27) and Moses Sem (22).
It is further alleged that the two accused overpowered the deceased, Gavin, took turns raping him, and thereafter killed him by pushing a piece of cloth deep down his throat, causing him to die on the scene due to asphyxia.
Subsequently, they robbed the deceased of a Samsung Galaxy A14 cellphone valued at N$4 000, a Samsung Tab A7 cellphone valued at N$9 000, four caps valued at N$500, and a white floppy hat.
The body of Gavin was found with his legs bound and a facecloth in his mouth by neighbours after multiple unanswered calls.
The two men, since the start of their trial, have pleaded not guilty to the charges of rape, murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
During her testimony in court, Miller, aged 55, said that she lived right next door to the deceased, Gavin, and that she had known him for about 10 years.
She added that the deceased did not have any girlfriends staying with him and merely lived with four dogs.
Miller said that on Thursday, 28 December 2023, she paid a visit to the deceased’s house, but that he had been confused and that she could not make out exactly what he had been saying. She added that the deceased had confided in her about being paranoid about his security, stating that he felt as though he was being followed and that he wanted to do a check-up on the cameras at his residence.
She added that on 30 December 2023, at about 14:00, she woke up late after being out at a party the previous day.
“I took my cellphone and I saw a message which was sent to me by Vernon Gavin at 12:34 a.m. and I again could not make out what the message meant. I tried to call Vernon’s cellphone but it was on voicemail, and I decided to try a few times before deciding to go and have a look. I went with my niece, Nebraska,” Miller said.
She added that after knocking at the front door, she heard no response and opted to jump over the wall of the deceased’s house, as she could also not hear his dogs barking.
“The side door was open and I went in first and saw the dog and I called Vernon, but nobody answered. I further went into his bedroom and, to my surprise, I saw the body of Vernon naked in his shower,” Miller recounted.
She added that after this, she informed her friends who were outside and that they subsequently called the police. During her testimony, Miller, however, testified that she was unaware that the deceased had been a homosexual man and did not think that he was gay.
Photo: Contributed
