Panayiotou murder trial postponed to December
The murder trial of Christopher Panayiotou, the Port Elizabeth businessman accused of paying hitmen to kill his wife Jayde, was on Monday postponed to December 2.
Panayiotou, 28, appeared briefly in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s court. At his next appearance in December, the court is expected to set the date for his trial to proceed in the Grahamstown High Court.
The body of his wife, a 29-year-old school teacher, was found on the outskirts of KwaNobuhle township in Uitenhage in April, a day after she disappeared. She was assaulted, thrown in the boot of a car and shot twice in the back and once in the head.
On Monday, Panayiotou was joined in the dock by the alleged triggerman, Sizwe Prince Vumazonke. The pair appeared on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
In August, the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew all charges against another accused, Luthando Siyoni, as he had become a 204 state witness.