Marina Marco, the aunt of murdered Chad Baron, shook her head in frustration as one of the men accused of Baron’s murder waved at his mother, mouthing “I love you”.

This as murder accused Warren Challen made his way to the holding cells at the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s court on Thursday morning.

Romano Jenniker and Challen, two of the three men arrested for the crime, appeared before Magistrate Walter Golding.

“Will we ever be able to tell Chad that we love him? No, because we will never get to see him again,” Marco said.

But Marco believed the justice system would “do right” by her nephew Baron, who died of wounds sustained in a brutal assault after he was hijacked on his way home from a party in Cape Town on June 8.

His bloodied body was dumped near an abandoned building in Camp Road and was found by a boy who was walking past the usually deserted area.

Baron, 26, suffered multiple stab wounds and had been beaten with a brick.

Bail application postponed

He remained in a coma at Groote Schuur Hospital until his death on July 11, two weeks after he would have left to teach English in Vietnam.

Jenniker is the only one of the three suspects arrested for murder, kidnapping and car theft who is continuing his bail application.

Jenniker’s bail application was postponed to September 29 after his legal representation withdrew for financial reasons. He will now be represented by a legal aid lawyer.

Second accused Challen had earlier told the court he would be abandoning his application.

Ricardo Jackson did not apply for bail.

Marco was elated that all three would remain behind bars for now.

“I am very, very happy with the way things are going,” she said outside court.

“As a family, we have faith in justice. God is in complete control of this entire situation.”

‘You live with it until the day you die’

While extended family members have been at every court appearance since the suspects’ arrest, Baron’s parents have not yet attended proceedings.

“They are managing, but are not yet ready to come to court. It’s still too fresh.

“Photos of Chad still fill the walls of all of our homes. You try to cope, but it will take a very long time.

“This isn’t the kind of thing you just get over. You live with it until the day you die.”

Marco insisted the family did not hate the men accused of “our Chad’s” murder.

“But there are consequences to the choices they have made. They have to take responsibility. It angers me to see them [in the dock] and still, they show no remorse.

“Even if they [are convicted and] get 25 years, their families can still visit and see them. We will never get to see Chad again.” News24