PORT ELIZABETH - COURT CASE FOR TODDLER STRUCK IN THE HEAD BY A STRAY BULLET & KILLED; POSTPONED

The Port Elizabeth High Court has postponed the murder trial of Mashall Thomas and Maxwell Muller to later this month.

The men are accused of the murder of two-year-old Hakeem Baartman in 2017.


The trial was expected to start on Monday but was postponed yet again.

Marshall Thomas and Maxwell Muller have been charged with the toddler's killing but have yet to plead to the charges against them. 

Muller, who previously did not have legal representation, is now being represented by legal aid. His lawyer still needs to acquire certain documentation in order to be ready for the trial.

Judge Irma Schoeman is also currently busy with the conclusion of another criminal trial.

According to the State, Baartman was walking with his uncle in Helenvale, in an area called “Die Gat”, when the shooting incident unfolded on November 18, 2017.

The toddler was hit in the head by a stray bullet and died on the scene. Dimitri Guest, 17, sustained a gunshot wound to the neck.

The State alleges that Guest was sitting on the steps of a house in Hartebees Street in Helenvale when Thomas approached from an open field and started shooting at him. 

Guest was allegedly the target and when he ran into the street, Thomas continued firing at him. The toddler was caught in the middle and shot in the head.

Thomas has also been charged with the attempted murder of the toddler’s uncle, Ashley Baartman, who was with the child at the time of the shooting.

The trial is now expected to get underway on March 25.

via - IOL