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Constantia man pleads guilty to the murder of “Steriod King”

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A 28-year-old man, who admitted killing “Steroid King” Brian Wainstein in his Constantia home in 2017, has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars.

The sentence was imposed in terms of a plea and sentencing agreement, which Matthew Breet entered into in the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday.

Breet worked as Wainstein’s bodyguard but he was eventually fired.

He admitted in the agreement that he took up employment with Wainstein’s associate, who “later, together with other associates, conspired to murder the deceased”.

He and others did a reconnaissance of Wainstein’s home in Hohenort Avenue and his business premises to assist with their plot.

His case was split last week from that of his brother Sheldon Breet and co-accused Cheslin Adams and Fabian Cupido.

They are also accused of killing the international steroid smuggler and face charges of murder and conspiracy to commit housebreaking with the intent to murder.

Adams faces additional charges of housebreaking with intent to murder, theft and possession of a firearm and ammunition.

According to the State’s summary of facts, the Breet brothers were Wainstein’s bodyguards and Sheldon Breet was also involved in Wainstein’s “business dealings”.

Cupido, the prosecution alleges, worked for Sheldon Breet and was a 27s gang member, along with Adams who was also allegedly affiliated to the Spoilt Bratz street gang.

Cupido and Adams are ostensible “associates” of the owner of a Cape Town tyre business.

Breet admitted on Wednesday that he briefed others on what to do and provided the location of Wainstein’s bedroom.

He asked them not to harm Wainstein’s girlfriend and her daughter.

“Motor vehicles were swapped, Cupido and his companions getting into the VW Golf GTI whilst he took the Bantam,” the plea agreement stated.

“Before he left, Cupido came back to the ldv (light delivery vehicle) to fetch a firearm from behind the bakkie seat, placing it in the front of his pants before returning to the VW Golf GTI.”

Matthew said he went to a pub in Table View where he met up with his brother and agreed to turn their phones off at that time.

They received a call in the early hours of the next morning, indicating Wainstein had been shot and they went to his home.

While waiting at the entrance of the premises, Matthew stated that Cupido called and asked “whether the job had been well done and if the deceased was in fact dead”.

Mitigating factors included his guilty plea and co-operation, his regret at assisting with the murder, and being too easily misled by those who were keen to kill Wainstein.

Aggravating factors included that “contract killing” had become prevalent in the Western Cape, and that the murder was planned and premeditated.

“The murder was made more heinous by the fact that the home of the deceased was invaded and he was shot multiple times at close range while sleeping next to his girlfriend and young child,” the agreement stated.

The court ordered that his sentence run concurrently with the effective 12-year jail term he received last month for illegal possession of firearms.

Sheldon Breet, Cupido and Adams remain in custody and are expected back in the High Court for a pre-trial conference on February 8.

[Source: News24]
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