Hey Guys - Go to huntakiller.com/danielle and use code DANIELLE for $10 off ANY purchase. As always let me know your thoughts, theories and opinions on this case!
I can imagine you watching the documentary with pen and note pad, pausing to take notes to verify..I have 4 beside me, for some reason I work out a problem in my sleep, wake up and just think, start writing, back to sleep, that problem is now written down and solved, not big massive problems, ideas on how to help my daughter build a photo booth, and lighting, but had all to be fit into a 1 x 1 square, six foot tall locker, and because we encourage everything I design it, she used it, and it works for us to find out before we invest big, to her now dream, fulfilled at 26....
Hi Danielle, my name is Sonal, I am one of Anni's cousins (she was my father's sister's daughter) . I looked up to Anni so much my whole life and was so looking forward to spending more time with her after she was moving permanently to London after the wedding. I was in attendance there in India and my parents were in contact with her just before she left for honeymoon. Thank you for covering her case so respectfully- I will be passing your video onto Anni's siblings and parents so they can watch it too
As a South African, the moment we heard about this case something felt abnormal. We know what a normal hijacking looks like. If this was a legit hijacking they would not have ditched the car, it would have been cut up for parts or over the border in a few days. Professional hijackers also don't typically stand about in random places late at night hoping to get lucky, they follow a desirable car and hijack the driver when they are at their most vulnerable - in their driveway. If it wasn't a professional hijacking but just an opportunistic crime by some thugs, it makes no sense that she wasn't sexually assaulted. It also makes no sense that they would have let the two males go free to identify them later but killed the woman. To South Africans, this screams "hit".
Exactly! Wherever you're from you know what the MO is when it comes to certain things and as South Africans we know what a hijacking looks like right from the start. There's no way this happened by chance.
Thanks for "visiting" South 🇿🇦 Africa. Everything about this guy screamed "guilty". He was slithery and dodgy in all the photos, conversations etc. I have to agree with all my fellow South Africans, this was NOT a legit hi-jacking. Sadly we live with this and that car would have dissapeared. Chopped up into parts, moved across the border. Her ring would NOT have been left behind and yes, she would more likely have been raped before being murdered. Hearing the "not guilty" verdict made me feel sick. Sick to my stomach that he was getting away with having his beautiful wife murdered and sick for her poor family. I remember her father arriving in SA! His face showed complete agony. This is all dreadful. 😞
One of my favorite things about you, Is that a) you’re always respectful about these. And b) you cover cases I’ve never heard of before. Even as a criminology major.
@@kristinleighthe1 Funny thing is, this same story has been covered by three different TC creators this week. I was like NOOOO when I seen the title to this video lol I'm still watching to support her. This has happened several times actually.
Putting aside the fact that this isn’t how a normal hijacking looks like in South Africa, the fact that Shrien was seeing a male hooker before he got married and is now in a relationship with another man, that says it all. He was trapped by cultural expectations and needed a way out. Guilty!
Reading the comments from fellow South Africans breaks my heart. Hijacking’s are so common that we know what a hijacking is like, and therefore we are able to see flaws in the entire story.
Also South African and having been in a few hijackings myself I also thought this exact thing! Also very uncommon type of target with more than 2 people in the car. Seems like Chris Panayioutou tried to follow in his footsteps but didn’t get away with it. Also there was no getaway vehicle, people waiting to hijack are normally in another vehicle. Also why was the car abandoned? Hijackers would’ve stripped that apart by that time. Townships are so dark at night nobody would even see anything even if you did want to at that time of night and both men in that car would know that.
Also a South African. Yup. Definitely something very dodgy here. I followed the case and NONE of it makes sense unless he arranged her murder. This is by no means a "regular" hijacking in SA. And honestly, he had so many chances to call it off but still told her the wedding is going ahead - he really didn't have to kill her.
@@rhiannon3625 I got into a lot of trouble by 2 privileged South Africans for saying so in an earlier comment so won’t elaborate because apparently facts are offensive, but yes happen every day in all areas.
@@rhiannon3625 Unfortunately, they are a common occurrence. South Africa is a beautiful country with so many good things and a rich history, but crime is a an issue
You know what's sad? I was relieved when you said there was no sign of her having been raped. I'm South African, and rape is almost a crime of opportunity here so, it's a relief she wasn't violated before or after her murder. It's a dark world we live in...
I was really relieved myself when Danielle said she wasn't sexually assaulted. Imagine that being the last thing you ever experience!! It definitely should have helped proved that this was a hit!!
She kinda was....read the whole story about this!!! I remember this story was big and the police said she has some sort of sexual assault because her clothes were torn
Imagine if ‘Hunt a Killer’ didn’t send fictional murders, but instead would send real murders and people would start solving cold cases without knowing
How is sexuality NOT relevant when it is literally a potential motive. A strong one at that! This poor woman and her family. I genuinely hope they get justice one day.
It definitely looks like he was guilty, but unfortunately, the bisexuality move by the defence was quite brilliant. I've seen my fair share of straights using their "bisexuality" to claim they couldn't possibly be homophobic even though they clearly were. So as soon as they talked about the possible motive, I knew he would come out as bi. There is no way to prove someone isn't bisexual, so there is no real way to prove his attraction to men was the motive either, which renders his sexuality irrelevant. Also, perhaps if prosecutors stopped offering reduced sentences to criminals, they might come off as more reliable in court. But in the end, all they had was no proof of a motive and a witness who looked like he would've sold his grandmother to get out earlier. No surprise he got aways with it.
I wonder if he had been running around with women instead of men, would that have been allowed in court? We see that in the US all the time. Man murders wife, his motive was his side girl or even that he had lots of side girls. This is clearly relevant to motive so why’s a man cheating with another man irrelevant? Of course his sexuality speaks to motive. I wonder if this guys $ helped him out a bit as courts worldwide are corrupt.
Exactly, it’s like saying infidelity is not relevant to a husband and wife murder case…. That judge is truly terrible and biased… did she get a white envelope as well?? ✉️
Thanks for covering this story so well, as a South African I must say that I love how you pronounced Zola, Gugulethu and Mlambo. Your accent is so lovely. You've gained a new subscriber ❤️🇿🇦
I was 18 when this case happened and it was clear as a daylight that the husband had a hand in this, this was no normal hijacking it was a hit. I'm glad you covered something from my country and you tried to pronounce the names correctly. Thank you
Are you kidding me?!?! He is so guilty! What I really want to know, is why couldn't the text messages be retrieved?? I believe he used his wealth to basically buy immunity & that's why there wasn't much evidence & why the judge tossed the case.
@@haileymetallic that's infuriating! I saw another case Brooke McKenna did where a man murdered his girlfriend & is free & has a wife now! I don't believe those who kill, unless it's self defense, should be freed.
As a South African , can't imagine why anyone would want to go to the townships... does not make any sense!!! Hubby definitely did his research and planned her death!
I agree completely! I also think it was premeditated prior to their arrival in South Africa. I think he knew everything that was going to go down prior to their arrival.
Completely agree! And.... Who goes sightseeing at night? What can be seen at night? Unless it's lights, which some people do but why the seedy side of town? The Touristy stuff is *NOT* on the seedy side of town. Nah, not buying it! Premeditated Murder and he walks free! Disgusting!
I live in South Africa and I remember this case clearly. Unfortunately our legal system failed Anni and her family. He is as guilty as hell. I think anyone with 2 brain cells can work that out. It broke my heart to see Anni's family coming here to get answers and leaving without it.
Bearding isn't exactly a new concept and there have been spouses who know about the sexuality of their spouse and are understanding and agree to keep it a secret, but I don't think Anni knew about his sexuality, because if she did then why was she so confused and upset at his lack of interest in intimacy with her?
I'm asking because I'm genuinely interested. Why would someone marry a person who they know will never be able to find them sexually attractive, someone who they know they will never be able to have a family with or anything close to a "normal" marriage? As a married woman, I would find it so lonely and depressing to be in a marriage with a man who wasn't sexually attracted to me. Do these people just go outside of their marriage to find love and intimacy? I'm not asking to be offensive, I'm just actually curious about how something like that works.
@@nadinekeating3255 some people do it so that their spouse won’t get hate and shame from their family. And also in some cultures being gay can be a death sentence, so some people do it to protect the other person.
My theory: His family pressured him to marry They didn't know he's gay He went ahead with the marriage to throw off the family He had her murdered so he could be free AFTER going through with his families wishes knowing his family would have sympathy for him and "let him off the marriage hook" He definitely did it and it's horrible that she had to die because he couldn't be honest with his family.
not justifying the murder, but coming out in some countries like south africa or india is very dangerous and even deadly... if he was gay or bi and the family find out he was going to be disowned and maybe killed by other ppl... he could simply run and make a new life in other country tho
Same thoughts. He should have come out and married a man. Could have shocked the parents but they'll get over it, or get older and die. No one else has to die at the time.
If only his family accepted his sexuality. So girls like Annie dont have to get hurt or sometimes killed. I'm thinking about all the guys and girls married because of the reputation and how they are secretly gay. The brown community are so toxic in their thinking. Like I have a cousin and hes gay. His parents are in denial. They are looking for a girl for him.
She's had a strong intuition about things going the wrong way for her. I wish she did listen to her inner voice. What a waste of life of this young beautiful woman who could have had many joyful years ahead.
There's so much about this case that makes it heartbreaking, but the fact that Anni was so unhappy in the relationship leading up to the wedding (and in the video of the wedding, she looks so sad and withdrawn), cancelling it 3 times, telling her family she wanted to come home, that she wasn't happy, i don't know, somehow makes her murder all the more heartbreaking. Her gut was clearly telling her something was wrong, but she was guilt-tripped into going threw with the wedding anyway.
Also, I have to say…Ani’s ring was worth more than the husband offered to pay them to kill her. This case makes no sense. The biggest problems that I have is, why would they hire a taxi and not have a private car. That makes no sense.
I think it was all about "for show" for his family Kelly. A flashy ring, a beautiful bride, a big wedding that he had to convince his bride 3 times to go ahead with.... All to make him appear normal to his family?!? He must have feared stigma greatly imo.
Say the taxi driver hooked up with the husband or helped him to. Suddenly he has a very rich, deeply closeted man completely at his mercy. So desperate to maintain his secret he can't even reveal the truth after his wife is accidentally murdered during the botched scheme Just an alternative theory
In addition - it makes no sense for the kidnappers to say "oh we're just going go talk to her alone then come back' (supposing they would find him if this was even believable?), kick her out and pick him up to talk to him?? Huh? And they just so happened to be standing on that corner? Also, who on earth takes a tour of a severely economically-depressed area after dark?? I mean people do tour Gugulethu, but during the daytime, I mean this isn't rocket science. I think there's a chance a payoff happened behind the scenes. Also, his wealth appears to have afforded him seemingly-slimy representation who knew that by pretending (allegedly) he is bi would immediately protect him from further scrutiny. That to me was so sleazy since this appears to have been the driving force behind this mess. So sad this beautiful Anni lost her life because of this callous lying loser. Karma is real and his will come in one way or another.
All of us (South Africans) had a gut feeling, a 6th sense about this case. This was a hit, not a "highjacking" and he's life was spared for a reason,so he could pay them for the hit. Guilty and well researched. Rest in Peace Anni, we will never forget you xo
I'm from South Africa 🇿🇦, and it's so interesting to finally hear more on this case. I remember it clearly. Still think the husband is 100% guilty,even if he was found 'innocent'.
He technically wasn’t found innocent. It was thrown out due to lack of evidence or a proper trial or what not. I know that doesnt make it better but ita still a little something….
I'm South African and I thought I knew enough about this case but was I surprised. I was also much younger and didn't understand the story. Knowing what I know now, I feel so bad for Anni's family. I do think he took her to South Africa knowing the high crime rate because the world cup had just happened and I'm sure all tourists were told to be careful. Just disappointed with the results of how the case went.
As a South African from a poorer area I just wanted to say: 1. Not really western / local. You can be a local and live in the colonised areas. Those poorer areas are called townships. 2. Anyone from South Africa knows that townships at night time cannot be seen. Street lights often don’t work and the streets in those areas feel almost apocalyptic, even if you wanted to see them at that time it wouldn’t be possible to see a thing. Both men would’ve know that. 3. Hijackers normally pull up to you in their own car at traffic lights as a means to getaway. It’s very rare or impossible that there’d be only 2 hijackers on foot waiting in their own area for an opportunity, with 3 people in the car outnumbering them. Everyone in SA has guns, I find it hard to believe opportunists would be waiting in their own area where cars like this aren’t around at night, and the car had so many people in it, and there was no getaway car. 4. If it was just a hijacking, why did her husband survive and why didn’t they steal their jewellery etc? You can’t even go to a shopping centre there without being mindful of what you’re wearing and everyone around you. Why would people from the township take a car and abandon it, but not the jewellery you’re wearing? 5. Hijackers would’ve stripped that car by that time for every last hubcap and tyre. If they wanted the car that badly why was it just abandoned, and in tact? 6. Why wasn’t she raped? Almost every woman, especially in an opportunist crime like this where they take the woman away, they get raped or mutilated. Someone that looks like Anni, while not a certainty, would often end up getting raped. Another thing that makes it seem like a purposeful execution as opposed to a crime of opportunity. 7. Her husband, like every South African, knows you can get people from the townships to do just about anything for nothing. In a country police officers only make around £200 a month, people are desperate and corruption is rife. Money is more appealing in such a desperate life. 8. See these 2 cases of many that were as huge as this one in SA that are really good to review: Hannah Cornelius and Jayde Panyioutou
@@GrandmaCathy because South Africa is extraordinarily beautiful (not joking) and Cape Town is a beautiful honeymoon destination filled with shopping, hikes, beach and even game parks. Why wouldn't they honeymoon there? Just stay out of the shitty parts
exactly!!! i questioned the same thing why did he survived and not the wife ? it doesn't make any sense and also if they really wanted to steal from them why kill the wife and leave a expensive ring behind... and that guy zola wasnt even telling them the real truth about what happened idk he wasnt making any sense cuz first he said the the husband planned this whole thing and then pleaded not guilty for the lack of evidence it surly looks like the husband planned everythinnggg and i do believe untill this day that he is guilty 100% but you will never know what happened...
@@fireflyexposed as a South African, I would absolutely not recommend people visit this country. It is far too dangerous. I'm nervous everytime I leave home. This country is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! No doubt. But far too dangerous. Especially if you're not used to looking over your shoulder CONSTANTLY.
I'm South African and I remember when this case happened. We had just had the World Cup and it was like a blow after such a happy and fun occasion. South Africa does have high crime rates but from the jump we knew that Shriyan was involved. He got off really easy though. Money talks.....👀👀
I definitely agree that money talks. That judge looks sus - this case really tarnished our reputation as South Africa. I spend most days in Soweto, and have spent even more nights there - and I dont feel unsafe. So this was definitely planned 🤞🏽🤞🏽
I am from Cape Town South Africa, and this was huge case. I will never forget when I use to work for Groote Schuur Hospital when Xolile Mngeni (Hitman) was admitted to hospital, i was still running for lift and he was in the elevator surrounded by police, I was asked to wait for the next one..
This case needs to be justified one way or another. The Dewani family are still grieving over their loss of Anni in their lives. Not to mention that Anni's supposed husband seemed shady as hell. It's clear that he has pretty effed up intentions right from the very beginning. As much I don't want to stir up more callous speculations, but I still do think that the husband is the primary suspect in this unfortunate case. Justice for Anni who never stood a chance at having a family of her own. Her name has to be put out there in order to be remembered, like any other murder victim out there in the world. Thanks Danielle for covering this case.
I'm South African so I understand the local crime context etc. This guy is guilty as sin. The average local has no doubt about it and we were pissed when he dragged out the court case for so long with his bullshit mental health issues and ended up being found not guilty. It's nice to be rich. Justice goes your way a lot of the time.
@@vanessac1721 I'm not even from south Africa and even I know damn well this guy was lying. Several of my family members live there and some who have been attacked have described the exact MO hijackers use and this is not it. This man may as well wear guilty on his forehead.
I was 17 when this happen here in SA, we kinda knew from the beginning that he was involved bcz NOBODY walks around at night where he said she was killed NOBODY unless you have a death wish
So glad you finally covered a South African story. I’m a South African living in Cape Town, and let me tell you, as much as it sounds far fetched to arrange a highjack murder from a random taxi driver isn’t really so far fetched. His mistake was doing this in Cape Town, he should’ve done it in another City, CT is pretty safe compared to other big cities. We often see cases like this where there is a mastermind, several middle men, and then the “actioner” Another similar case is that of the murder of Jayde Panayiotou and one not widely covered but very suspicious is the case of Chanelle Henning. I so enjoy your way of storytelling 😃
I like how all the South Africans here know he's guilty. I was 9 living in Cape Town when this happened and vividly remember my parents talking about how this was definitely a set up
Anni was a perfect target for him. Clearly his family held his inherited fortunes hostage on conditions like he be a married man. He needed a bride not a wife. This murder was started long before the wedding. He's not bi, he's gay. He wouldn't have premarital sex because she's not what he wants. He found his victim and had to work hard at keeping her to fulfill his plans and solidify his inheritance.
agree 100%, it doesnt seem like he was bi at all. Not only sex, but his wife coulnt get any affection, while he was giving all if his affection to other men.
Being bi doesn't mean he NEEDS to have sex with women. 💀 Also, anyone can have sex with anyone, that doesn't define sexuality. The problem wasn't that he was bisexual or gay, but that he was attracted to men while being a man. I don't understand why there is a need to speculate his sexuality when he has clarified he is bisexual and that it's confirmed he is attracted to men. Trying to push another label on him doesn't further the case at all.💀
@@dull4669 No it doesn't, but coming from a bi woman it's mad sus that instead of just finding a woman he was actually romantically/sexually attracted to, he had Anni murdered by hitmen, all while visiting exclusively gay websites. I hate that 'Oh, you're bi? Kiss that woman right now!' mentality as much as the next person, but in THIS case, I feel it has relevancy. Because why would he marry a woman he had NO chemistry with and have her killed (allegedly), when he's bi and could have just...found a desirable female partner??? Plenty of gay men have lied and said they are bi in order to 'soften the blow' for their intolerant parents.
@@baraness24 I agree with you. I was just replying to all these other people who were talking as if he HAS to be gay to have as a reason for murdering his wife, or for simply not having sex with her.
This hit close to me, I lived in SA and now live in Sweden( Stockholm) and I know all about the area you were talking about in SA. I knew about this story and always believed the husband arranged it all. Such a SAD SAD STORY. Even If he was so scared about his family/friends finding out about his sexuality, there is no reason to murder an innocent woman to keep his secret, there are arrangements out there where people gets married to the opposite sex to disguise their preference and with the money he had, he could have done that instead of choosing murder. Oh hell just be a decent human and come out to everyone and spare the life your wife. Goddamn it!
I don’t even enjoy makeup or makeup tutorials. But I love true crime. LOVE IT. And your makeup always comes out stunning. I love the glittery eyeshadow. Glitter is my one weakness! ✨ 💜
He really got away with it! It's crazy, I truly believe he planned her murder, so much evidence. The "justice" system is ridiculous 😣🤦🏾♀️ poor Anni and her family, they deserved justice!
So sad, I truly believe that he, clearly, is GUILTY!! I believe that the judge was definitely biased in this case... And like , he was scared to call off the wedding with her for fear that his family wouldn't approve, but yet he goes ahead with wedding, kills bride on honeymoon, then his sexual fetishes are exposed which were surely shocking to his family, then goes off to live happily ever after with his new partner???? And you mean to tell me his family finds this less upsetting than calling off the wedding ????? WHAAAT???!!! Please, for the love of God, make this make sense !! 🤔
Excellent points! Just can't make this stuff up Joni Bright and we certainly can't in any way, shape or form make it make sense! Not even for the love of God. LOL Good thoughts! Good Coment! It's just insane and so unjust! Disgusted at the SA Justice System. He should be charged with SOMETHING cause he's guilty AF and Annies poor family not getting a single ounce of Justice in this case UNLESS..... any part of my comment above comes true. I listed a few things that would help level the playing field and make it a bit more justified! But, time will tell..... lol *smiles*
@@b4ubcomeold I agree, if anything, he's obviously at least guilty of I would guess 'interfering with an investigation' maybe?? Lying would be a good start, and how were 4 other men's story all lining up and all saying same thing and naming same person, but yet HE is deemed credible ???.. guarantee ya his money $$ bought his freedom.... So sad. Ya know, with each true crime case, the people just seem to get more outrageous and do the most unthinkable,. Unbelievable sh*t😐.
So... 3 days after Anni's death, Shrien met up with the main suspect in a random hotel room to pay for the taxi ride that ended in kidnapping/murder... hmmm... 🤦♀️🤬🤔
I spent 6 weeks in South Africa at the very end of last year, so I returned back to the USA less than a month ago. Literally all of us knew to not go out at night and to Uber everywhere - no walking, especially as a woman. There’s no way that they wouldn’t have known about the potential dangers.
@@sammi.in.nomadland exactly! If Zola was an innocent taxi driver he would never have driven into Gugulethu at night time because we always try to look after tourists. He was either ordered to go there or had his own plan with friends in Gugs.
Us South Africans knew there was something suspicious when this first broke in the news. Thank you for covering this case, Anni deserved so much better. Watching this gave me chills, it’s always scarier when it’s close to home.
I think he killed her. Too many coincidences. You did a great job at covering this case. Truly Criminal covered it a couple of weeks ago and they also did a good job. Keep up the good work 🙂
The fact that you cover cases that aren’t as well known is one of my favorite things ever! As a South African citizen I always enjoy listening to cases like these since not a lot of channels do South African cases and I’d love for more of our cases to be talked about since some of them really do need the attention. Thank you for the video!!!🌸
I’m a South African and I remember this case so clearly. It was a shock to the nation and really, like you said, bad for the image of our beautiful country as well as its tourism industry. What’s even more sad and distressing is that the justice system dropped the ball with regards to prosecuting the guilty in this case (but then again, it’s just another day in South Africa🤷🏼♀️). Thank you for bringing us interesting content and for also speaking out for those who doesn’t have a voice anymore.
I've been binge watching your videos ever since I found your channel, I love the juxtaposition of you putting on makeup while talking about true crime, the contents of the cases are still disturbing of course but it makes it slightly easier to swallow? I've also picked up some makeup techniques for you along the way, so that's a plus! Anyhoo, I hope you'll consider covering this infamous case in Singapore dubbed the Toa Payoh ritual murders.
All of it points towards him being guilty, and (to me) usually, it's what happens days after the murder, and everything, all his unusual behavior in those first hours and days allude towards his involvement. I feel bad for her, and her family and hope they get the justice they deserve.
I admit that each time I see you’ve uploaded, it makes me smile. Your voice, accent, personality, personal touches, authenticity, etc…are what I love about you’re rendition of these cases. You make even the worst of cases more tolerable to hear 😘
47:30, he knew he was guilty, that’s why he went through whatever he did afterwards. There’s so much evidence pointing towards him, if a lower class person were to do something like this, the evidence that they’d have would be enough to set them in prison for life.
Just playing devils advocate. But maybe he was so depressed because he wasn’t guilty but the whole world was assuming he was. I can’t imagine having the whole world turn on you. They didn’t have any evidence besides those fingerprints, just speculation, so no, a lower class person would still not have been found guilty because there was no real evidence other than the “witnesses” who kept changing their story. I also think he was probably guilty, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t convict someone based on speculation and whether or not you think they’re grieving properly. That is how people who really are innocent end up in prison or on death row.
The corruption rate in South Africa is extremely high and money is more important than a life lost. The judge could've easily been bribed into being biased. I'm South African and I knew of the case but I didn't have the backstory and I didn't know how it ended. Thank you very much ❤❤❤
I remember when this was in the news and even then, with less information than before watching your video, I thought it was so obvious that he'd had her killed! *Long* comment approaching: My general thoughts are that he was gay but was pressured to get married. It's possible that his family nudged him a little bit to do it, and that his money was somehow involved. It explains why his relationship with Anni progressed so quickly - he just found a woman to be his beard, wooed her with his cash and arranged the marriage as quickly as he possibly could. He made a big deal of it by arranging an insanely lavish wedding but clearly as soon as he'd secured himself the engagement his attitude changed towards her. Now he basically had her pinned down, he started to make her really unhappy. His unwillingness to intimacy with her was purely because he wasn't sexually attracted to her at all and she was just there to make him look good. It's a shame we'll never know if she knew about his real sexuality. Maybe her sudden change in feeling happened after she found out about it, and it's even a possibility that he told her she was going to be his wife for the sake of convenience. I do wonder whether he'd somehow made contact with the taxi driver before they ever went to South Africa. It's entirely possible he could have just arranged it on getting there, he had a lot of money at his disposal and unfortunately South Africa does have a bad reputation - if the first person he went to had said no, I can't see why that would have kept him from paying him off to be quiet and then trying someone else. But I also think it's possible that he arranged to honeymoon in South Africa because he knew it would be fairly easy to pull off a hit there and make it look like a random hijacking. If he knew what he was planning in advance, and he'd found a way of getting in touch with someone in secret before that, then it would have been pretty easy to arrange for a certain taxi to be outside the airport when they arrived. Either way, he's guilty. He had his wife killed because he never wanted her in the first place, he just wanted to enjoy his money and his sexuality without any pressure.
Danielle: "MONEY money" 💰😄 Me: A private pilot I know calls it "jet money." Basically "next level" wealth. I remember this case from 2010, but never heard updates (US). Horrible. Thanks for covering this. -Palm Springs Fan 🌴
The husband met the taxi driver online before they ever got to Capetown. Had him meet them at the airport. Didn't you say one of the hijackers was found in bed with a man and 2 women? It could have been the husband met the taxi driver on some alternative lifestyle website or classifieds...
Yay Sunday dinner at the ready, I'm ready to get stuck in to a new case! Hope your having a lovely Sunday everyone 💞 Thank you for the new upload Kirsty x
As a Ugandan that lives in Cape Town, this case was very interesting to hear about because it was so close to home. Also the way you pronounced "Gugulethu" had me cracking up. Love you tho
Hi Danielle!! Thank you so much for covering a case from south africa! I'm from there. And there is another case you should look and that is the Van Breede case!! :) it's really hectic. But be warned ..it's very frustrating
I've decided to treat myself to a take away tonight since I've worked the last 4 days in my new job. Best way to relax on a Sunday, food and a new video from you 💜
She was chosen to get him out from under his parents’ questioning. Different cultures have different ideas about what is appropriate. The judge might have thought bisexuality is fine, but she might give a thought to what his parents felt and the pressure he might have been under to marry. I can’t imagine how that witness must have felt after 5 days on the stand. Testifying is such an anxiety filled process. After that much time, I wouldn’t remember my name! That defense attorney must be proud.
Greetings from Denmark! 🇩🇰 I only first discovered this channel a few days ago, and I've been binge watching since. I'm down to a handful of videos left and it always saddens me to run out of episodes 😂 I NEVER subscribe or comment on TH-cam, but I can't let you go and you deserve to know what a great job you're doing. Well done Danielle! 💙
I think he was hooking up with the taxi driver on his honeymoon, but I also think he definitely planned the whole thing out ahead of time...He didn't want to be with a woman, he just did it for his family's money
I think so too, but I believe they killed her cos maybe she saw them in a compromising situation and out of fear of it getting out that he is gay they killed her to shut her up
Sadly, I believe this is a case of money talking - he and his family are extremely wealthy and could easily afford to pay off anyone necessary to enable him to get away with this horrific murder.
It's always heartbreaking to see a family go through a trial and still not receive justice for their loved one. Despite claiming that there wasnt enough evidence, I still think they could have charged him with something..Instead he's just completely off the hook..Shameful.
i’m ngl (south african) the argument of “is it plausible that in 24 hours an arranged murder was made, and what’s the likelihood of etc” is quite null and void. If, in combination with the circumstantial evidence, he was desperate enough to have his wife killed, it’s not impossible for him to have found out that South Africa is a very corrupt country. Are most citizens in connection with a murderer? no, will most citizens say anything to the police if you asked them such a question? no and taxi services in South Africa aren’t like the UK or USA, most are run by men who know people. So, unfortunately, it is likely that whichever taxi he got, if he said a high enough number, they would know someone. Again, i love my country, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its many faults that need correcting.
This is a truly heartbreaking case. I just want to touch on one thing... The pizza party. My grandmother was diagnosed with CJD, which is a terminal brain disease and she went downhill FAST. We lost her within 4 months of her initial diagnosis. The day she passed my entire family went out to dinner. Which may seem super odd, but it was one of her favorite restaurants and we all just wanted to be together. So I really don't like to judge people on what they do/did after losing someone. But, this dude is totally guilty. Lol
I think what you did was fully understable, it was somehow HER place so you all, together, could "be there with her" for the last time in a way. But in this case there was no mention of the fact that it was a party for the family / the pizza had any kind of meaning, nothing like that. I guess that's what makes a huge difference while looking at two "similiar" situations
Perfect timing sweet pea!! I am snowed in here in South Carolina USA 🇺🇸....and I just love you to the moon and back....thank you for being here and sharing with us...🥰❤❤❤❤
I have a friend in N Carolina and he got about 2" but it was the ice storm that was bad. He sent me a short video clip and can hear the ice crystals hitting the house, car, sidewalk. I'm in Montana and have 2 ft of snow in my yard so I'm used to snow. We just had 12 days straight of below zero temps. -38* below zero was the coldest but with the WindChill it was -59* below zero! Bitter cold. Anyway.... the Ice Storm just blew my mind. He sent me a video this afternoon and it's warmed up and his snow, all 2" inches of it. LOL has melted but still chilly. WHAT'S UP MOTHER NATURE?!?!? Bi-Polar much?! lol Ours was an Artic Blast from Siberia and Canada but I dunno where y'all get your cold snaps. lol *STAY WARM!!!!* And stay off the streets today. It'll all be melted by tomorrow. Just in time to start the work week. lol
@@b4ubcomeold hahaha....I know right...totally bi polar ...it is just about 4 inches right now but it will turn into ice over night...the road is nothing but a slate of ice and only trucks and 4 wheelers have been driving today...I am in the valley right before you get into the mountains and it's not as bad as in Saluda NC and lake lure...I am in Lyman so it could be much worse but hopefully they will clear the roads soon....I have to work tomorrow hahaahaahah❄❄😁
Hey Guys - Go to huntakiller.com/danielle and use code DANIELLE for $10 off ANY purchase.
As always let me know your thoughts, theories and opinions on this case!
Yay!!! Now I have something good to watch
Thank you so much for covering this case Danielle❤️.
Yeah yeah’s I’m it’s just one of the better
Great story pretty lady looking forward to the next one
I can imagine you watching the documentary with pen and note pad, pausing to take notes to verify..I have 4 beside me, for some reason I work out a problem in my sleep, wake up and just think, start writing, back to sleep, that problem is now written down and solved, not big massive problems, ideas on how to help my daughter build a photo booth, and lighting, but had all to be fit into a 1 x 1 square, six foot tall locker, and because we encourage everything I design it, she used it, and it works for us to find out before we invest big, to her now dream, fulfilled at 26....
Hi Danielle, my name is Sonal, I am one of Anni's cousins (she was my father's sister's daughter) . I looked up to Anni so much my whole life and was so looking forward to spending more time with her after she was moving permanently to London after the wedding. I was in attendance there in India and my parents were in contact with her just before she left for honeymoon. Thank you for covering her case so respectfully- I will be passing your video onto Anni's siblings and parents so they can watch it too
My condolences to you for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family. God bless you.
So sorry for your loss! ..such an unfair trial. I hope there will be justice for Anni and your family! 🙏🏻💗
@@queentemitayo Thank you 🙏 ❤️
@@Marjolein_C I hope so one day too- the day that the judge dismissed the case was one of the worst days of our lives. Thank you 🙏 ❤️
May she find peace in her after life ❤️ my condolences 💐
As a South African, the moment we heard about this case something felt abnormal. We know what a normal hijacking looks like. If this was a legit hijacking they would not have ditched the car, it would have been cut up for parts or over the border in a few days. Professional hijackers also don't typically stand about in random places late at night hoping to get lucky, they follow a desirable car and hijack the driver when they are at their most vulnerable - in their driveway. If it wasn't a professional hijacking but just an opportunistic crime by some thugs, it makes no sense that she wasn't sexually assaulted. It also makes no sense that they would have let the two males go free to identify them later but killed the woman. To South Africans, this screams "hit".
Exactly! Wherever you're from you know what the MO is when it comes to certain things and as South Africans we know what a hijacking looks like right from the start. There's no way this happened by chance.
My thoughts exactly!
makes 100% sense, sad it wasnt brough up in court or made clear enough.
As a South African, I agree. When this case came out it seemed too fishy
Thanks for "visiting" South 🇿🇦 Africa. Everything about this guy screamed "guilty". He was slithery and dodgy in all the photos, conversations etc. I have to agree with all my fellow South Africans, this was NOT a legit hi-jacking. Sadly we live with this and that car would have dissapeared. Chopped up into parts, moved across the border. Her ring would NOT have been left behind and yes, she would more likely have been raped before being murdered. Hearing the "not guilty" verdict made me feel sick. Sick to my stomach that he was getting away with having his beautiful wife murdered and sick for her poor family. I remember her father arriving in SA! His face showed complete agony. This is all dreadful. 😞
One of my favorite things about you, Is that a) you’re always respectful about these. And b) you cover cases I’ve never heard of before. Even as a criminology major.
Yes, I love that she doesn't do the same ones as everyone else all the time
me to i love they she does different cases very rarely is it one i’ve heard
Same! So shocked you’ve never heard of this one though, it was massive
@@kristinleighthe1 Funny thing is, this same story has been covered by three different TC creators this week. I was like NOOOO when I seen the title to this video lol I'm still watching to support her. This has happened several times actually.
YES.
Putting aside the fact that this isn’t how a normal hijacking looks like in South Africa, the fact that Shrien was seeing a male hooker before he got married and is now in a relationship with another man, that says it all. He was trapped by cultural expectations and needed a way out. Guilty!
Reading the comments from fellow South Africans breaks my heart. Hijacking’s are so common that we know what a hijacking is like, and therefore we are able to see flaws in the entire story.
As a South African I can say this case has very little characteristics of a normal hijacking. He’s guilty no doubt about it
Also South African and having been in a few hijackings myself I also thought this exact thing! Also very uncommon type of target with more than 2 people in the car. Seems like Chris Panayioutou tried to follow in his footsteps but didn’t get away with it. Also there was no getaway vehicle, people waiting to hijack are normally in another vehicle. Also why was the car abandoned? Hijackers would’ve stripped that apart by that time. Townships are so dark at night nobody would even see anything even if you did want to at that time of night and both men in that car would know that.
Also a South African. Yup. Definitely something very dodgy here. I followed the case and NONE of it makes sense unless he arranged her murder. This is by no means a "regular" hijacking in SA. And honestly, he had so many chances to call it off but still told her the wedding is going ahead - he really didn't have to kill her.
@@Nikki-qw5il are hijackings that normal??? wow
@@rhiannon3625 I got into a lot of trouble by 2 privileged South Africans for saying so in an earlier comment so won’t elaborate because apparently facts are offensive, but yes happen every day in all areas.
@@rhiannon3625 Unfortunately, they are a common occurrence. South Africa is a beautiful country with so many good things and a rich history, but crime is a an issue
You know what's sad? I was relieved when you said there was no sign of her having been raped. I'm South African, and rape is almost a crime of opportunity here so, it's a relief she wasn't violated before or after her murder. It's a dark world we live in...
Her husband was gay. Of course she wasn’t raped
I feel its because it was a fake and staged. No real intentions other then a pay off.
I was really relieved myself when Danielle said she wasn't sexually assaulted. Imagine that being the last thing you ever experience!! It definitely should have helped proved that this was a hit!!
@@moyaxoxo5923 she meant by the hijackers, not the husband...
She kinda was....read the whole story about this!!! I remember this story was big and the police said she has some sort of sexual assault because her clothes were torn
Imagine if ‘Hunt a Killer’ didn’t send fictional murders, but instead would send real murders and people would start solving cold cases without knowing
that's brilliant.
If that actually happened I might subscribe to Hunt a Killer. I just don't get into fictional murder/mystery games so much.
they should give it a try! for cold cases, any new set of eyes may be able to see things , other don’t!
I'm in
omg I was just thinking about that when she mentioned hunt a killer
How is sexuality NOT relevant when it is literally a potential motive. A strong one at that! This poor woman and her family. I genuinely hope they get justice one day.
It definitely looks like he was guilty, but unfortunately, the bisexuality move by the defence was quite brilliant. I've seen my fair share of straights using their "bisexuality" to claim they couldn't possibly be homophobic even though they clearly were. So as soon as they talked about the possible motive, I knew he would come out as bi. There is no way to prove someone isn't bisexual, so there is no real way to prove his attraction to men was the motive either, which renders his sexuality irrelevant. Also, perhaps if prosecutors stopped offering reduced sentences to criminals, they might come off as more reliable in court. But in the end, all they had was no proof of a motive and a witness who looked like he would've sold his grandmother to get out earlier. No surprise he got aways with it.
I wonder if he had been running around with women instead of men, would that have been allowed in court? We see that in the US all the time. Man murders wife, his motive was his side girl or even that he had lots of side girls. This is clearly relevant to motive so why’s a man cheating with another man irrelevant? Of course his sexuality speaks to motive. I wonder if this guys $ helped him out a bit as courts worldwide are corrupt.
Exactly, it’s like saying infidelity is not relevant to a husband and wife murder case…. That judge is truly terrible and biased… did she get a white envelope as well?? ✉️
@@Cash4Fruit my thoughts exactly
Now that his entire family knows he’s bi or just plain Gay, I’m wondering if his parents cut him off from all there money & privileges, WILL)
Thanks for covering this story so well, as a South African I must say that I love how you pronounced Zola, Gugulethu and Mlambo. Your accent is so lovely.
You've gained a new subscriber ❤️🇿🇦
I was 18 when this case happened and it was clear as a daylight that the husband had a hand in this, this was no normal hijacking it was a hit. I'm glad you covered something from my country and you tried to pronounce the names correctly. Thank you
Yet to see a comment NOT blaming him yet. It’s so obviously something to do with his side of things!
Are you kidding me?!?! He is so guilty! What I really want to know, is why couldn't the text messages be retrieved?? I believe he used his wealth to basically buy immunity & that's why there wasn't much evidence & why the judge tossed the case.
In many countries, it is a norm to pay off lawyers, judges, politicians and even law enforcement officials.
@@miriamanderson6146 yes, it happens here in the US a lot
Yuuup I agree ! He’s out of jail & has a whole boyfriend now. Living his best life when he should absolutely be behind bars ffs.
@@haileymetallic that's infuriating! I saw another case Brooke McKenna did where a man murdered his girlfriend & is free & has a wife now! I don't believe those who kill, unless it's self defense, should be freed.
Paid off
As a South African , can't imagine why anyone would want to go to the townships... does not make any sense!!! Hubby definitely did his research and planned her death!
I agree completely! I also think it was premeditated prior to their arrival in South Africa. I think he knew everything that was going to go down prior to their arrival.
Completely agree! And.... Who goes sightseeing at night? What can be seen at night? Unless it's lights, which some people do but why the seedy side of town? The Touristy stuff is *NOT* on the seedy side of town. Nah, not buying it! Premeditated Murder and he walks free! Disgusting!
@@b4ubcomeold literally no one. And if he would have encountered another taxi driver they would not have taken him there and told them to steer clear!
Ek stem saam
I agree. Sad thing is that this case will probably just fade to nothing in this country. Unfortunately, poor Anni is now one of the statistics.
This case infuriates me every time I hear it. I must say though, how you presented this story was the most compelling rendition I’ve heard. Great job.
I live in South Africa and I remember this case clearly. Unfortunately our legal system failed Anni and her family. He is as guilty as hell. I think anyone with 2 brain cells can work that out. It broke my heart to see Anni's family coming here to get answers and leaving without it.
Bearding isn't exactly a new concept and there have been spouses who know about the sexuality of their spouse and are understanding and agree to keep it a secret, but I don't think Anni knew about his sexuality, because if she did then why was she so confused and upset at his lack of interest in intimacy with her?
I'm asking because I'm genuinely interested. Why would someone marry a person who they know will never be able to find them sexually attractive, someone who they know they will never be able to have a family with or anything close to a "normal" marriage?
As a married woman, I would find it so lonely and depressing to be in a marriage with a man who wasn't sexually attracted to me.
Do these people just go outside of their marriage to find love and intimacy?
I'm not asking to be offensive, I'm just actually curious about how something like that works.
@@nadinekeating3255 It depends on the people involved. Some people do it because they want to be married and don't mind helping their spouse pass.
@@nadinekeating3255 some people do it so that their spouse won’t get hate and shame from their family. And also in some cultures being gay can be a death sentence, so some people do it to protect the other person.
@@nadinekeating3255all goes back to religion in my experience. I'm not talking about God or jesus, I'm talking about religion
@@nadinekeating3255 Also Danielle mentions he was super rich, so it could have been the money aspect.
My theory:
His family pressured him to marry
They didn't know he's gay
He went ahead with the marriage to throw off the family
He had her murdered so he could be free AFTER going through with his families wishes knowing his family would have sympathy for him and "let him off the marriage hook"
He definitely did it and it's horrible that she had to die because he couldn't be honest with his family.
not justifying the murder, but coming out in some countries like south africa or india is very dangerous and even deadly... if he was gay or bi and the family find out he was going to be disowned and maybe killed by other ppl... he could simply run and make a new life in other country tho
Same thoughts. He should have come out and married a man. Could have shocked the parents but they'll get over it, or get older and die. No one else has to die at the time.
If only his family accepted his sexuality. So girls like Annie dont have to get hurt or sometimes killed. I'm thinking about all the guys and girls married because of the reputation and how they are secretly gay.
The brown community are so toxic in their thinking. Like I have a cousin and hes gay. His parents are in denial. They are looking for a girl for him.
@@Beautylovetoshop96 Do you know that his parents even knew he was gay? Speak for yourself..
It's not easy being gay/bi in Indian culture. My ex-gf's younger brother attempted suic1de so he wouldn't have to come out. It's brutal.
She's had a strong intuition about things going the wrong way for her. I wish she did listen to her inner voice. What a waste of life of this young beautiful woman who could have had many joyful years ahead.
As a South African this case is a hit . We all know this
I’m glad you’re doing South Africa cases you should do more
There's so much about this case that makes it heartbreaking, but the fact that Anni was so unhappy in the relationship leading up to the wedding (and in the video of the wedding, she looks so sad and withdrawn), cancelling it 3 times, telling her family she wanted to come home, that she wasn't happy, i don't know, somehow makes her murder all the more heartbreaking. Her gut was clearly telling her something was wrong, but she was guilt-tripped into going threw with the wedding anyway.
Also, I have to say…Ani’s ring was worth more than the husband offered to pay them to kill her. This case makes no sense. The biggest problems that I have is, why would they hire a taxi and not have a private car. That makes no sense.
These people will kill you to get your phone
I think it was all about "for show" for his family Kelly. A flashy ring, a beautiful bride, a big wedding that he had to convince his bride 3 times to go ahead with.... All to make him appear normal to his family?!? He must have feared stigma greatly imo.
Kelly B, the judges and jury lacked the enlightenment and the intelligence for critical thinking.
Say the taxi driver hooked up with the husband or helped him to. Suddenly he has a very rich, deeply closeted man completely at his mercy.
So desperate to maintain his secret he can't even reveal the truth after his wife is accidentally murdered during the botched scheme
Just an alternative theory
In addition - it makes no sense for the kidnappers to say "oh we're just going go talk to her alone then come back' (supposing they would find him if this was even believable?), kick her out and pick him up to talk to him?? Huh? And they just so happened to be standing on that corner? Also, who on earth takes a tour of a severely economically-depressed area after dark?? I mean people do tour Gugulethu, but during the daytime, I mean this isn't rocket science. I think there's a chance a payoff happened behind the scenes. Also, his wealth appears to have afforded him seemingly-slimy representation who knew that by pretending (allegedly) he is bi would immediately protect him from further scrutiny. That to me was so sleazy since this appears to have been the driving force behind this mess. So sad this beautiful Anni lost her life because of this callous lying loser. Karma is real and his will come in one way or another.
All of us (South Africans) had a gut feeling, a 6th sense about this case. This was a hit, not a "highjacking" and he's life was spared for a reason,so he could pay them for the hit. Guilty and well researched. Rest in Peace Anni, we will never forget you xo
Can we just take a moment to appreciate Danielle’s ABSOLUTE SLAYING of these names!!!
Not Gugulethu
I'm from South Africa 🇿🇦, and it's so interesting to finally hear more on this case. I remember it clearly.
Still think the husband is 100% guilty,even if he was found 'innocent'.
He technically wasn’t found innocent. It was thrown out due to lack of evidence or a proper trial or what not. I know that doesnt make it better but ita still a little something….
“I know that doesn’t equal guilt, but it definitely makes him a shitty person” YES GIRL!
I'm South African and I thought I knew enough about this case but was I surprised. I was also much younger and didn't understand the story. Knowing what I know now, I feel so bad for Anni's family. I do think he took her to South Africa knowing the high crime rate because the world cup had just happened and I'm sure all tourists were told to be careful. Just disappointed with the results of how the case went.
I was going to say something similar 👏 I think he purposely planned the honeymoon in South Africa
Its disgusting that he dragged our country into his sick plan. As if we don’t have enough to deal with.
@@nqobilemsomi3656 we don’t blame Africa, Love from the USA
As a South African from a poorer area I just wanted to say:
1. Not really western / local. You can be a local and live in the colonised areas. Those poorer areas are called townships.
2. Anyone from South Africa knows that townships at night time cannot be seen. Street lights often don’t work and the streets in those areas feel almost apocalyptic, even if you wanted to see them at that time it wouldn’t be possible to see a thing. Both men would’ve know that.
3. Hijackers normally pull up to you in their own car at traffic lights as a means to getaway. It’s very rare or impossible that there’d be only 2 hijackers on foot waiting in their own area for an opportunity, with 3 people in the car outnumbering them. Everyone in SA has guns, I find it hard to believe opportunists would be waiting in their own area where cars like this aren’t around at night, and the car had so many people in it, and there was no getaway car.
4. If it was just a hijacking, why did her husband survive and why didn’t they steal their jewellery etc? You can’t even go to a shopping centre there without being mindful of what you’re wearing and everyone around you. Why would people from the township take a car and abandon it, but not the jewellery you’re wearing?
5. Hijackers would’ve stripped that car by that time for every last hubcap and tyre. If they wanted the car that badly why was it just abandoned, and in tact?
6. Why wasn’t she raped? Almost every woman, especially in an opportunist crime like this where they take the woman away, they get raped or mutilated. Someone that looks like Anni, while not a certainty, would often end up getting raped. Another thing that makes it seem like a purposeful execution as opposed to a crime of opportunity.
7. Her husband, like every South African, knows you can get people from the townships to do just about anything for nothing. In a country police officers only make around £200 a month, people are desperate and corruption is rife. Money is more appealing in such a desperate life.
8. See these 2 cases of many that were as huge as this one in SA that are really good to review: Hannah Cornelius and Jayde Panyioutou
They honeymooned in SA? Why on earth?
@@GrandmaCathy because South Africa is extraordinarily beautiful (not joking) and Cape Town is a beautiful honeymoon destination filled with shopping, hikes, beach and even game parks. Why wouldn't they honeymoon there? Just stay out of the shitty parts
Absolutely right!!! I’m Nigerian so I can tell you that it is very easy to find “thugs” to hurt people. Especially when poverty is rampant.
exactly!!! i questioned the same thing why did he survived and not the wife ? it doesn't make any sense and also if they really wanted to steal from them why kill the wife and leave a expensive ring behind... and that guy zola wasnt even telling them the real truth about what happened idk he wasnt making any sense cuz first he said the the husband planned this whole thing and then pleaded not guilty for the lack of evidence it surly looks like the husband planned everythinnggg and i do believe untill this day that he is guilty 100% but you will never know what happened...
@@fireflyexposed as a South African, I would absolutely not recommend people visit this country. It is far too dangerous. I'm nervous everytime I leave home. This country is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! No doubt. But far too dangerous. Especially if you're not used to looking over your shoulder CONSTANTLY.
I'm South African and I remember when this case happened. We had just had the World Cup and it was like a blow after such a happy and fun occasion. South Africa does have high crime rates but from the jump we knew that Shriyan was involved. He got off really easy though. Money talks.....👀👀
I definitely agree that money talks. That judge looks sus - this case really tarnished our reputation as South Africa. I spend most days in Soweto, and have spent even more nights there - and I dont feel unsafe. So this was definitely planned 🤞🏽🤞🏽
His money definitely saved him from this one. We all know how our South African justice system works sometimes. It's embarrassing
I am from Cape Town South Africa, and this was huge case. I will never forget when I use to work for Groote Schuur Hospital when Xolile Mngeni (Hitman) was admitted to hospital, i was still running for lift and he was in the elevator surrounded by police, I was asked to wait for the next one..
I love that you have the full make up on for the sponsor part, so it's easy to fast forward and know when to stop for the case 🤣
💀🤣 I thought I was the only one - no shade! 🥶🤣
Shush, or she'll change it.
This case needs to be justified one way or another. The Dewani family are still grieving over their loss of Anni in their lives. Not to mention that Anni's supposed husband seemed shady as hell. It's clear that he has pretty effed up intentions right from the very beginning. As much I don't want to stir up more callous speculations, but I still do think that the husband is the primary suspect in this unfortunate case. Justice for Anni who never stood a chance at having a family of her own. Her name has to be put out there in order to be remembered, like any other murder victim out there in the world. Thanks Danielle for covering this case.
I'm South African so I understand the local crime context etc. This guy is guilty as sin. The average local has no doubt about it and we were pissed when he dragged out the court case for so long with his bullshit mental health issues and ended up being found not guilty. It's nice to be rich. Justice goes your way a lot of the time.
Agreed Vanessa, it took forever to get his butt back to SA! This is still so frustrating.
@@vanessac1721 I'm not even from south Africa and even I know damn well this guy was lying. Several of my family members live there and some who have been attacked have described the exact MO hijackers use and this is not it. This man may as well wear guilty on his forehead.
There is no speculations he was gay and that was the motive.
I was 17 when this happen here in SA, we kinda knew from the beginning that he was involved bcz NOBODY walks around at night where he said she was killed NOBODY unless you have a death wish
So glad you finally covered a South African story. I’m a South African living in Cape Town, and let me tell you, as much as it sounds far fetched to arrange a highjack murder from a random taxi driver isn’t really so far fetched. His mistake was doing this in Cape Town, he should’ve done it in another City, CT is pretty safe compared to other big cities. We often see cases like this where there is a mastermind, several middle men, and then the “actioner”
Another similar case is that of the murder of Jayde Panayiotou and one not widely covered but very suspicious is the case of Chanelle Henning.
I so enjoy your way of storytelling 😃
Anni is so beautiful. She seems like she was a lovely and kind person. The world needs more people like her in it.
I like how all the South Africans here know he's guilty. I was 9 living in Cape Town when this happened and vividly remember my parents talking about how this was definitely a set up
Anni was a perfect target for him. Clearly his family held his inherited fortunes hostage on conditions like he be a married man. He needed a bride not a wife. This murder was started long before the wedding. He's not bi, he's gay. He wouldn't have premarital sex because she's not what he wants. He found his victim and had to work hard at keeping her to fulfill his plans and solidify his inheritance.
agree 100%, it doesnt seem like he was bi at all. Not only sex, but his wife coulnt get any affection, while he was giving all if his affection to other men.
Exactly. If he was bi he wouldn't have had to fake it. He could have found a woman he was actually attracted to. He was gay.
Being bi doesn't mean he NEEDS to have sex with women. 💀 Also, anyone can have sex with anyone, that doesn't define sexuality. The problem wasn't that he was bisexual or gay, but that he was attracted to men while being a man. I don't understand why there is a need to speculate his sexuality when he has clarified he is bisexual and that it's confirmed he is attracted to men. Trying to push another label on him doesn't further the case at all.💀
@@dull4669 No it doesn't, but coming from a bi woman it's mad sus that instead of just finding a woman he was actually romantically/sexually attracted to, he had Anni murdered by hitmen, all while visiting exclusively gay websites. I hate that 'Oh, you're bi? Kiss that woman right now!' mentality as much as the next person, but in THIS case, I feel it has relevancy. Because why would he marry a woman he had NO chemistry with and have her killed (allegedly), when he's bi and could have just...found a desirable female partner??? Plenty of gay men have lied and said they are bi in order to 'soften the blow' for their intolerant parents.
@@baraness24 I agree with you. I was just replying to all these other people who were talking as if he HAS to be gay to have as a reason for murdering his wife, or for simply not having sex with her.
This hit close to me, I lived in SA and now live in Sweden( Stockholm) and I know all about the area you were talking about in SA. I knew about this story and always believed the husband arranged it all. Such a SAD SAD STORY. Even
If he was so scared about his family/friends finding out about his sexuality, there is no reason to murder an innocent woman to keep his secret, there are arrangements out there where people gets married to the opposite sex to disguise their preference and with the money he had, he could have done that instead of choosing murder. Oh hell just be a decent human and come out to everyone and spare the life your wife. Goddamn it!
Also if he was bi, he could have just found a woman he was attracted to! Makes no sense. He was gay and needed a cover for his parents.
@@baraness24 true, there are so many sensible ways he could have resolved his sexuality crisis and murder isn’t one of those ways. 😳
money and appearances: disgusting
@@baraness24I agree with you he was not bi, he was gay! He said that he was bi to just soften the situation.
GIIRRLLL ... Do Oscar Pestorius next!! Cases here in South Africa are always wild.
Oscar Pistorius, Christopher Panayiotou and the Krugersdorp cult are all interesting cases.
I don’t even enjoy makeup or makeup tutorials. But I love true crime. LOVE IT. And your makeup always comes out stunning. I love the glittery eyeshadow. Glitter is my one weakness! ✨ 💜
He really got away with it! It's crazy, I truly believe he planned her murder, so much evidence. The "justice" system is ridiculous 😣🤦🏾♀️ poor Anni and her family, they deserved justice!
He bought his way out of it
So sad, I truly believe that he, clearly, is GUILTY!! I believe that the judge was definitely biased in this case...
And like , he was scared to call off the wedding with her for fear that his family wouldn't approve, but yet he goes ahead with wedding, kills bride on honeymoon, then his sexual fetishes are exposed which were surely shocking to his family, then goes off to live happily ever after with his new partner???? And you mean to tell me his family finds this less upsetting than calling off the wedding ????? WHAAAT???!!!
Please, for the love of God, make this make sense !! 🤔
Excellent points! Just can't make this stuff up Joni Bright and we certainly can't in any way, shape or form make it make sense! Not even for the love of God. LOL Good thoughts! Good Coment! It's just insane and so unjust! Disgusted at the SA Justice System. He should be charged with SOMETHING cause he's guilty AF and Annies poor family not getting a single ounce of Justice in this case
UNLESS..... any part of my comment above comes true. I listed a few things that would help level the playing field and make it a bit more justified! But, time will tell..... lol *smiles*
@@b4ubcomeold I agree, if anything, he's obviously at least guilty of I would guess 'interfering with an investigation' maybe?? Lying would be a good start, and how were 4 other men's story all lining up and all saying same thing and naming same person, but yet HE is deemed credible ???.. guarantee ya his money $$ bought his freedom.... So sad.
Ya know, with each true crime case, the people just seem to get more outrageous and do the most unthinkable,. Unbelievable sh*t😐.
So... 3 days after Anni's death, Shrien met up with the main suspect in a random hotel room to pay for the taxi ride that ended in kidnapping/murder... hmmm... 🤦♀️🤬🤔
When you have money everything is possible and rules don't apply to you.
I spent 6 weeks in South Africa at the very end of last year, so I returned back to the USA less than a month ago. Literally all of us knew to not go out at night and to Uber everywhere - no walking, especially as a woman. There’s no way that they wouldn’t have known about the potential dangers.
Definitely, it’s the first thing any South African would tell you!
@@nimzipow Absolutely. I even had an employee at the mall at the V&A Waterfront beg me not to walk like five blocks to my hotel at 9pm.
@@sammi.in.nomadland exactly! If Zola was an innocent taxi driver he would never have driven into Gugulethu at night time because we always try to look after tourists. He was either ordered to go there or had his own plan with friends in Gugs.
You can see her discomfort throughout the wedding so heartbreaking
I agree 💯
Us South Africans knew there was something suspicious when this first broke in the news. Thank you for covering this case, Anni deserved so much better. Watching this gave me chills, it’s always scarier when it’s close to home.
I think he killed her. Too many coincidences.
You did a great job at covering this case. Truly Criminal covered it a couple of weeks ago and they also did a good job. Keep up the good work 🙂
If he had MONEY MONEY maybe he paid the judges off 🤔
The fact that you cover cases that aren’t as well known is one of my favorite things ever! As a South African citizen I always enjoy listening to cases like these since not a lot of channels do South African cases and I’d love for more of our cases to be talked about since some of them really do need the attention. Thank you for the video!!!🌸
I’m a South African and I remember this case so clearly. It was a shock to the nation and really, like you said, bad for the image of our beautiful country as well as its tourism industry. What’s even more sad and distressing is that the justice system dropped the ball with regards to prosecuting the guilty in this case (but then again, it’s just another day in South Africa🤷🏼♀️).
Thank you for bringing us interesting content and for also speaking out for those who doesn’t have a voice anymore.
Loved your pronunciation of Gugulethu and love that you covered a South African case ! Cant wait for you to cover more like this 🥺❤!
I've been binge watching your videos ever since I found your channel, I love the juxtaposition of you putting on makeup while talking about true crime, the contents of the cases are still disturbing of course but it makes it slightly easier to swallow? I've also picked up some makeup techniques for you along the way, so that's a plus!
Anyhoo, I hope you'll consider covering this infamous case in Singapore dubbed the Toa Payoh ritual murders.
All of it points towards him being guilty, and (to me) usually, it's what happens days after the murder, and everything, all his unusual behavior in those first hours and days allude towards his involvement. I feel bad for her, and her family and hope they get the justice they deserve.
I’m from South Africa 🇿🇦 I’m very interested in hearing how you cover this case, it was a very huge one here.
Hi fellow homie❤
I think she has a degree in criminology...
Danielle covered the case so well. I remember all of this like it was yesterday! 🇿🇦
I admit that each time I see you’ve uploaded, it makes me smile. Your voice, accent, personality, personal touches, authenticity, etc…are what I love about you’re rendition of these cases. You make even the worst of cases more tolerable to hear 😘
Her clips, nails and makeup match so perfectly 😍 attention to detail in everything 😍
usually I'm way more invested in the case than the makeup but I could not get over how perfectly your shadow matched your clips
I’m South African and I’ll never forget how this case shook the entire nation 😢.
Anni looks so unhappy in the wedding video. I feel so gutted that she was essentially forced to be married due to guilt.
Hi Fellow Saffas 🇿🇦, I'm sure everyone remembers this case it was huge! The husband is definitely guilty!
My heart goes out the Ann’s family. RIP 🌸🌺🌷
The way you said Gugulethu🤣🤣 i just had to stop what i was doing to comment, really nice pronunciation. (From a South African)
He owns the old peoples village in my hometown, literally 1 minute from my house. Everyone still talks about it till this day! So so sad ❤️
47:30, he knew he was guilty, that’s why he went through whatever he did afterwards. There’s so much evidence pointing towards him, if a lower class person were to do something like this, the evidence that they’d have would be enough to set them in prison for life.
Just playing devils advocate. But maybe he was so depressed because he wasn’t guilty but the whole world was assuming he was. I can’t imagine having the whole world turn on you. They didn’t have any evidence besides those fingerprints, just speculation, so no, a lower class person would still not have been found guilty because there was no real evidence other than the “witnesses” who kept changing their story.
I also think he was probably guilty, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t convict someone based on speculation and whether or not you think they’re grieving properly. That is how people who really are innocent end up in prison or on death row.
@Anakmei - I'm a year late but agree 100%.
I'm from South Africa 🇿🇦 and I completely forgot about this case. It happened years ago and I remember it being a big case
I love how you tell a story beginning to end and back to front. You make it so interesting!
He's guilty and I pray the family gets answers and hubby will be accountable for his role in this horrific tragedy.
The corruption rate in South Africa is extremely high and money is more important than a life lost. The judge could've easily been bribed into being biased.
I'm South African and I knew of the case but I didn't have the backstory and I didn't know how it ended. Thank you very much ❤❤❤
I remember when this was in the news and even then, with less information than before watching your video, I thought it was so obvious that he'd had her killed! *Long* comment approaching:
My general thoughts are that he was gay but was pressured to get married. It's possible that his family nudged him a little bit to do it, and that his money was somehow involved. It explains why his relationship with Anni progressed so quickly - he just found a woman to be his beard, wooed her with his cash and arranged the marriage as quickly as he possibly could. He made a big deal of it by arranging an insanely lavish wedding but clearly as soon as he'd secured himself the engagement his attitude changed towards her. Now he basically had her pinned down, he started to make her really unhappy. His unwillingness to intimacy with her was purely because he wasn't sexually attracted to her at all and she was just there to make him look good. It's a shame we'll never know if she knew about his real sexuality. Maybe her sudden change in feeling happened after she found out about it, and it's even a possibility that he told her she was going to be his wife for the sake of convenience.
I do wonder whether he'd somehow made contact with the taxi driver before they ever went to South Africa. It's entirely possible he could have just arranged it on getting there, he had a lot of money at his disposal and unfortunately South Africa does have a bad reputation - if the first person he went to had said no, I can't see why that would have kept him from paying him off to be quiet and then trying someone else. But I also think it's possible that he arranged to honeymoon in South Africa because he knew it would be fairly easy to pull off a hit there and make it look like a random hijacking. If he knew what he was planning in advance, and he'd found a way of getting in touch with someone in secret before that, then it would have been pretty easy to arrange for a certain taxi to be outside the airport when they arrived.
Either way, he's guilty. He had his wife killed because he never wanted her in the first place, he just wanted to enjoy his money and his sexuality without any pressure.
If you're reading this I hope you're taking care of yourself and your mental well being, especially when we all enjoy such disturbing stories. 🖤🖤
Thank you
Thank you and hope you are too! ✊🏼🖤
Omfg. Stop.
😂😂
Yes, we should really seek help.
@@lucybullwhip8103 no u ☺️
Hello from South Africa... I am a Journalist and this story took the media by storm 😯 thank you so much for talking about it..
Fan from Botswana 🇧🇼 and im so happy to see you travelling a little closer to home. You’re amazing Danielle
Danielle: "MONEY money" 💰😄
Me: A private pilot I know calls it "jet money." Basically "next level" wealth.
I remember this case from 2010, but never heard updates (US). Horrible. Thanks for covering this. -Palm Springs Fan 🌴
I've heard the term "he's got/she's got fuck you money," which means extremely wealthy. I think that's what he had in this case.
The husband met the taxi driver online before they ever got to Capetown. Had him meet them at the airport. Didn't you say one of the hijackers was found in bed with a man and 2 women? It could have been the husband met the taxi driver on some alternative lifestyle website or classifieds...
Yay Sunday dinner at the ready, I'm ready to get stuck in to a new case! Hope your having a lovely Sunday everyone 💞 Thank you for the new upload Kirsty x
Hope you enjoy your Sunday dinner. I'm jealous!
As a Ugandan that lives in Cape Town, this case was very interesting to hear about because it was so close to home. Also the way you pronounced "Gugulethu" had me cracking up. Love you tho
JUSTICE FOR ANNI❤️🙏🏽, SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT HATE.
Hi Danielle!! Thank you so much for covering a case from south africa! I'm from there. And there is another case you should look and that is the Van Breede case!! :) it's really hectic. But be warned ..it's very frustrating
She also needs to do Cecelia Steyn - the lady that inspired Devilsdorp
I've decided to treat myself to a take away tonight since I've worked the last 4 days in my new job. Best way to relax on a Sunday, food and a new video from you 💜
Ooh that sounds good I'm jealous! Hope you enjoy your take away
She was chosen to get him out from under his parents’ questioning. Different cultures have different ideas about what is appropriate. The judge might have thought bisexuality is fine, but she might give a thought to what his parents felt and the pressure he might have been under to marry.
I can’t imagine how that witness must have felt after 5 days on the stand. Testifying is such an anxiety filled process. After that much time, I wouldn’t remember my name! That defense attorney must be proud.
Greetings from Denmark! 🇩🇰 I only first discovered this channel a few days ago, and I've been binge watching since. I'm down to a handful of videos left and it always saddens me to run out of episodes 😂
I NEVER subscribe or comment on TH-cam, but I can't let you go and you deserve to know what a great job you're doing.
Well done Danielle! 💙
the fact he's gay definitely explains why he avoided intimacy so much with Anni
Can I just take a moment to say wow, your makeup skills are unbelievable! Love this eye look 😍
I think he was hooking up with the taxi driver on his honeymoon, but I also think he definitely planned the whole thing out ahead of time...He didn't want to be with a woman, he just did it for his family's money
woah I never thought about that! such a god point!
I think so too, but I believe they killed her cos maybe she saw them in a compromising situation and out of fear of it getting out that he is gay they killed her to shut her up
ive been spending the last few months applying to college and i keep listening to your videos on repeat to keep me company, thank you for posting!
This case is still so frustrating. He is guilty, so much evidence. Money really does talk 😔
This case happened in my country but I’d rather hear it from Danielle than on our news everyday 😂❤
OMG thanks for covering South African cases. I'm from Cape Town and I absolutely love your channel ❤
I hope someday some form of evidence is found to find him guilty and give Anni’s family the answers and peace they deserve.
Sadly, I believe this is a case of money talking - he and his family are extremely wealthy and could easily afford to pay off anyone necessary to enable him to get away with this horrific murder.
I'm from South Africa and I recall this case very well, thanks for covering it.
As a swede I'm surprised I haven't heard of this 😳 thank you for covering it! ❤️
Love your videos!
“i don’t think we are suitable for each other”
“i want to break up” it was that easy :/
It's always heartbreaking to see a family go through a trial and still not receive justice for their loved one. Despite claiming that there wasnt enough evidence, I still think they could have charged him with something..Instead he's just completely off the hook..Shameful.
I love how the moment I see your nails, I get excited for the look your going to do. 😁🤗😃
i’m ngl (south african) the argument of “is it plausible that in 24 hours an arranged murder was made, and what’s the likelihood of etc” is quite null and void.
If, in combination with the circumstantial evidence, he was desperate enough to have his wife killed, it’s not impossible for him to have found out that South Africa is a very corrupt country. Are most citizens in connection with a murderer? no, will most citizens say anything to the police if you asked them such a question? no and taxi services in South Africa aren’t like the UK or USA, most are run by men who know people. So, unfortunately, it is likely that whichever taxi he got, if he said a high enough number, they would know someone.
Again, i love my country, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its many faults that need correcting.
After months of asking for a little something about south Africa, I can finally say you delivered❤❤
when you look up "perfect" in the dictionary, a picture of this makeup will be under the description
This is a truly heartbreaking case. I just want to touch on one thing... The pizza party. My grandmother was diagnosed with CJD, which is a terminal brain disease and she went downhill FAST. We lost her within 4 months of her initial diagnosis. The day she passed my entire family went out to dinner. Which may seem super odd, but it was one of her favorite restaurants and we all just wanted to be together. So I really don't like to judge people on what they do/did after losing someone.
But, this dude is totally guilty. Lol
I think what you did was fully understable, it was somehow HER place so you all, together, could "be there with her" for the last time in a way. But in this case there was no mention of the fact that it was a party for the family / the pizza had any kind of meaning, nothing like that. I guess that's what makes a huge difference while looking at two "similiar" situations
Perfect timing sweet pea!! I am snowed in here in South Carolina USA 🇺🇸....and I just love you to the moon and back....thank you for being here and sharing with us...🥰❤❤❤❤
I have a friend in N Carolina and he got about 2" but it was the ice storm that was bad. He sent me a short video clip and can hear the ice crystals hitting the house, car, sidewalk. I'm in Montana and have 2 ft of snow in my yard so I'm used to snow. We just had 12 days straight of below zero temps. -38* below zero was the coldest but with the WindChill it was -59* below zero! Bitter cold. Anyway.... the Ice Storm just blew my mind. He sent me a video this afternoon and it's warmed up and his snow, all 2" inches of it. LOL has melted but still chilly. WHAT'S UP MOTHER NATURE?!?!? Bi-Polar much?! lol
Ours was an Artic Blast from Siberia and Canada but I dunno where y'all get your cold snaps. lol *STAY WARM!!!!* And stay off the streets today. It'll all be melted by tomorrow. Just in time to start the work week. lol
@@b4ubcomeold hahaha....I know right...totally bi polar ...it is just about 4 inches right now but it will turn into ice over night...the road is nothing but a slate of ice and only trucks and 4 wheelers have been driving today...I am in the valley right before you get into the mountains and it's not as bad as in Saluda NC and lake lure...I am in Lyman so it could be much worse but hopefully they will clear the roads soon....I have to work tomorrow hahaahaahah❄❄😁
I love how dependable you are. I look forward to relaxing in bed on a Sunday evening and listening to a new case and enjoying the makeup. Me time.
Really love your channel and the way you tell your stories babe, you really have a knack for it 👏🏻❤️