Tracy-Lynn Ruiters | Published 1 hour ago
Traces of Chantal Pasqualle-Hoorn 's blood was still detectable at her Hanover Park home weeks after she was allegedly murdered by her husband Duncan Hoorn despite efforts to clean the scene.
This was the evidence of the State's first expert witness in the murder, kidnapping and defeating the administration of justice trial against Hoorn.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Captain Marius Joubert, a crime scene reconstruction and bloodstain pattern analysis expert, took to the stand in the Western Cape High Court on Thursday testifying about the charge of defeating the administration of justice.
The State alleges that after the assault on Pasqualle-Hoorn which left her critically injured, attempts were made to clean blood from the scene and conceal evidence.
Joubert told the court that he attended the property on August 8, 2024, to determine whether traces of blood remained.
His examination began with Pasqualle-Hoorn's black Toyota Yaris parked outside the home.
The expert testified that he could immediately identify what appeared to be blood inside the vehicle without the use of BlueStar or other forensic chemicals.
Because the substance visually resembled blood, Joubert said he did not conduct a presumptive blood test before collecting samples for forensic analysis.
Samples were collected from the vehicle, between the passenger and driver seats and windscreen. The court heard that three produced no DNA results, while one sample was not analysed.
Joubert then turned his attention to the interior of the home.
Photographs shown to the court depicted clothing scattered across the bedroom floor, bed and bathroom. One image, showing the entrance to the couple's bedroom, revealed a damaged door that had been broken off and lay in pieces.
Joubert said the photographs also reflected extensive damage to the bedroom and cupboards.
Despite the state of the room, he testified that he initially found no visible traces of blood on the bedroom walls or in the bathroom.
However, after applying BlueStar, a forensic reagent used to detect hidden blood traces, investigators made a significant discovery.
Joubert testified that BlueStar reacted on the corner of the bed frame, revealing what appeared to be blood that had flowed downward onto the floor.
"It turned dark green very quickly, which indicates the presence of iron," he explained.
Further testing confirmed the substance was blood.
DNA analysis subsequently produced a full DNA profile matching Pasqualle-Hoorn .
Joubert told the court he believed the blood had been diluted by another substance, which likely explained why it was not visible to the naked eye.
He said detergent could have been one of the substances involved.
"The blood was diluted with some form of liquid," he testified.
Earlier in his evidence, Joubert explained that several factors influence blood evidence, including exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet rays and cleaning chemicals.
He also detailed how BlueStar reacts with iron present in blood, allowing investigators to identify areas where blood may have been cleaned away.
"You will see if there was an attempt to clean up blood," he told the court.
"We also don't use too much BlueStar because it can actually dilute the blood and then we won't be able to obtain DNA."
During cross-examination, Hoorn's defence questioned whether any of the additional blood samples collected during the investigation had produced positive DNA results.
Joubert confirmed that, apart from the sample that generated a full DNA profile of Pasqualle-Hoorn, the samples collected from the vehicle either contained no DNA or were not analysed.
Defence counsel also asked whether he could determine how long the blood had been present.
Joubert replied that he could not say whether the blood traces had been there since June 2024.
The trial resumes on June 22 when the State is expected to call the forensic pathologist who conducted Pasqualle-Hoorn's post-mortem examination.
The court is expected to hear evidence regarding the extensive injuries she allegedly suffered, including a fractured arm and traumatic brain injuries, which prosecutors contend are consistent with a sustained and violent assault.
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Weekend Argus
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