The man charged with the murder of Woodlands mother and daughter Brooklyn Hemmero (15) and Christina “Nikki” Joseph (34), made a brief appearance in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday afternoon.
Kyle Francis (37), who is facing two charges of murder, was remanded in custody until his next appearance on April 16 for further investigation.
ALSO READ | Mother and daughter brutally murdered inside their home in PMB
uMgungundlovu District SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Sifiso Gwala confirmed that Francis appeared in court on two counts of murder.
Brooklyn was found strangled, while her mother, Joseph, was stabbed multiple times at their Woodroffe Flats residence in Woodlands last Tuesday evening.
Despite efforts by family and community members to rush the mother and daughter to hospital, both succumbed to their injuries.
Francis had previously spent several days in hospital under police guard following the deaths of Brooklyn and her mother.
According to several sources, Francis was transported from a hospital in Durban to the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court for his appearance.
Brooklyn and her mother were laid to rest last Saturday morning at the Mountain Rise Cemetery.
Family members, friends, community members and pupils gathered outside the Philadelphia Church in Woodlands to bid them a final farewell.
Last Friday evening, the family and members of the Woodlands community held a candlelight vigil to pray for the victims ahead of their funeral.
The double murder has rocked the Woodlands community, with activists calling for justice.
As the coffins of 15-year-old Brooklyn Hemmero and her mother, Christina “Nikki” Joseph, were placed side by side at their funeral on Saturday, grief-stricken mourners vowed that their deaths would not be forgotten.
“We will make sure that there is justice for the lives that have been lost,” said Elton Adkins, founder of Unite Against GBV.
Adkins said activists had already begun engaging with the family and the community.
ALSO READ | Tshepang Lihlabi brutally killed by his brother
“We have been speaking with the family and will be running a campaign to ensure that justice is served.”
“We are concerned about why the family was not informed of the appearance because we just want clarity and justice for the family,” he said.
