British couple killed, thrown to Crocodiles; ISIS-linked trio convicted after spending £37,000 on their cards
Couple targeted during seed expedition Tortured for banking details Bodies dumped in river Spending spree led police to suspects ISIS material found during raid Three
Couple targeted during seed expedition Tortured for banking details Bodies dumped in river Spending spree led police to suspects ISIS material found during raid Three members of an ISIS-linked gang have been convicted of murdering British botanists Rod Saunders and Rachel Saunders before dumping their bodies in a crocodile-infested river in South Africa, bringing an end to a case that remained unresolved for more than eight years.Durban High Court found Sayefundeen Del Vecchio, 44, his wife Bibi Patel, 34, and their lodger Mussa Jackson, 40, guilty of double murder, kidnapping, robbery and theft following a trial that heard evidence from around 60 witnesses over 160 court days. Daily Mail reported.The couple, aged 74 and 63 respectively, disappeared in February 2018 while searching for rare gladioli flowers in KwaZulu-Natal province.Rod and Rachel Saunders were internationally known botanists and owners of the Cape Town-based seed company Silverhill Seeds.
They regularly travelled across South Africa collecting rare plant species and lecturing on the country's flora.The court heard that the couple had travelled about 900 miles from Cape Town and had recently filmed with a BBC documentary team led by presenter Nick Bailey in the Drakensberg Mountains before continuing their expedition to Ngoye Forest Park.Prosecutors said Del Vecchio identified the couple as a target while they were camping in the remote forest.Phone records showed he contacted Patel and Jackson, describing the pair as a "good hunt" before later sending messages indicating the victims had been killed.The court heard that the couple were abducted and forced to hand over banking information before being murdered.Post-mortem examinations found Rachel Saunders suffered multiple machete wounds to the back of her head, repeated stab wounds and severe blunt-force injuries. Rod Saunders died from extensive head trauma.After the killings, 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 a crocodile-infested river in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.When the remains were eventually recovered, decomposition and animal predation had left them so badly damaged that investigators required DNA analysis and dental records to identify the victims.Investigators traced the gang after they used Rachel Saunders' credit cards and bank accounts to fund a spending spree worth about R734,000 (£37,000).The trio purchased Bitcoin and transferred funds from the couple's accounts before being noticed by a suspicious shop employee, who alerted authorities.Police followed the financial trail to the suspects' home, where officers recovered the victims' phones, jewellery, laptops, camping equipment and a stolen vehicle.
The BriefWire