Cellphone records could prove to be the turning point in the Pete Mihalik murder trial.
The Cape Town lawyer was found murdered under mysterious circumstances and three men are currently standing trial for his murder.
Vuyile Maliti, Sizwe Biyela and Nkosinathi Khumalo are charged with five counts including the murder of Mihalik on October 30, 2018, attempted murder, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The state prosecutor opened a can of worms by alluding that one of the accused cellphone records was recorded close to the scene.
Cellphone records are geographically located through ones number and they are picked up by the closest tower.
Using a map with geographic tags in Green Point, where the shooting happened almost five years ago, state lawyer Greg Wolmarans pinned down Maliti’s approximate location on October 29 and 30 using his cellphone records.
Maliti did not dispute these allegations but insisted he was in the area to meet a buyer for his car.
He added that when they failed reaching a deal with the buyer, they simply parted ways and that is how his cellphone records indicate the location.
Maliti’s lawyer objected, saying: “Regardless of where the four towers are and the fifth is, without knowing how far those towers pick up, what the ranges are, one cannot answer why one specific tower rather than another one picked him up.”
The objection was denied by the judge who states that the line of questioning was relevant.
The trial continues.
