Photo: Facebook.
Melvin Volkwyn sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for murdering Orderick Lucas
Melvin Volkwyn, from Eerste River, Cape Town, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the murder of one-year-old Orderick Lucas in 2019.
Photo: Facebook.
Cape Town hairdresser Melvin Volkwyn was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the murder of one-year-old Orderick Lucas in 2019 by the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday, 28 September. Orderick’s body was found in a stormwater drain near his grandmother’s house not long after his family became aware of his disappearance. Volkwyn maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
VOLKWYN JAILED FOR KILLING ORDERICK LUCAS
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Orderick Lucas was one years old at the time of his death in May 2019. He was the son of Davidine Lucas – Melvin Volkwyn’s friend – and Kounkou Dziendelet.
Davidine’s parents, Cornelia Scheepers and Devan Scheepers were the legal guardians of Orderick and his two siblings following an order of the Children’s Court on 8 January 2019.
“The placement of the siblings into foster care follows an investigation into the domestic circumstances of the Lucas household.
“Although expressly forbidden by the court order, the children occasionally spent weekends with Davedine instead of being with their grandparents,” said Ntabazalila.
ORDERICK’S DISAPPEARANCE AND DISCOVERY
Orderick and his siblings were with their parents on Friday, 22 March 2019, after their father, Dziendelet, fetched them from the Scheeper household. Two days later, on Sunday, Davidene visited her friend, Eon Adams, and took Orderick with her.
She reportedly left Adams’ house to deal with allegations that she had stolen a cellphone. It was reported that Davidene was allegedly assaulted by the mob of people who accused her of theft. During this time, she asked Volkwyn to take care of her son, according to the NPA.
She did not go back to Adam’s house on Sunday evening and Volkwyn took Orderick to his house in Kleinvlei Way, Melton Rose in Eerste River.
Four days later, on 28 March 2019, Orderick’s family discovered that he was missing and five days after that – on 2 April – a group of children trying to retrieve a ball from a stormwater drain discovered Orderick’s body, which was already decomposing. The drain is in the same street the child’s grandmother lives in, in Melton Rose, Eerste River.
CONVICTION AND SENTENCING
State Advocate, Mornay Julius, who died recently, successfully prosecuted the case. The court convicted Melvin Volkwyn last month on 25 August.
“During the judgment, the court commented that the fact that the accused cried during the court proceedings, is no indication that he was remorseful and that there is a distinction between regret and remorse,” said Ntabazalila.
The NPA said the court added that the Volkwyn had been untruthful – while Orderick’s family was looking for him, Volkwyn did not disclose where the child was.
“The judge stressed further that it takes a community to raise a child and reiterated that members of the community are called to be proactive in protecting children, assisting social workers and notify authorities when children are not taken care of,” said Ntabazalila.
Advocate Nicolette Bell, the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in the province, said that this was one of the last matters that Advocate Julius handled before his untimely death. “In this case, he ensured justice for Orderick, his grandparents, his siblings and that community. He has served the organisation, the community and justice with integrity and honour. His hard work and dedication to serving the community is echoed in this matter.”
