Melvin Volkwyn has been found guilty of murder in the Western Cape High Court.
Child murderer Melvin Volkwyn sat in disbelief as he listened to the verdict which found him guilty of the murder of Orderick Lucas on Wednesday.
Volkwyn struggled to hide his tears as Acting Justice Nolundi Nyati read his fate to him at the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday, in which she found Volkwyn to have lied about his innocence that he maintained throughout the trial.
Volkwyn had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Orderick whose decomposed body was found in a stormwater drain eight days after he was reported missing on March 25, 2019.
It was his version throughout that he had handed the baby back to his mother, Davidene Lucas, over a vibracrete wall the Monday morning.
Lucas says she is not over the death of her son and visits his grave once a week.
He had taken Orderick into his care the Sunday after Lucas got into an altercation regarding a stolen cellphone.
Acting Justice Nyati, however, rejected Volkwyn's evidence, saying that he had "tailored his evidence" and defence witnesses were unreliable as there were various inconsistencies and fabrication of evidence.
Acting Justice Nyati said that between the time state witness Alexander Kammies – who had tried to sell a cellphone after midnight to Volkwyn and saw Orderick asleep on the bed in the room – and Jurina Nel – another state witness and a domestic help who arrived at the salon where Volkwyn worked and had not seen the child – the court drew the inference that Volkwyn had murdered Orderick and disposed of his body in the stormwater drain where he was found days after being reported missing.
Acting Justice Nyati labelled Volkwyn a “bully” who had used Lucas to buy drugs for him and who had an “unhealthy obsession with Orderick”.
Acting Justice Nyati said while Lucas was an irresponsible parent, "she would never purposely hurt Orderick, who she was very fond of".
Sentencing proceedings will commence on September 14.
Cape Times