Ali Bira paid a landscaper to dig Ms Yusuf’s grave down the side of their family house four days before she was killed, stating the excavation was for a swimming pool. The prosecution claims that the Carlisle man, who had two small children with Ms. Yusuf, had been “clumsily” planning his wife’s murder for weeks in order to be with her sister, who was not aware of his emotions for her.
Seedat’s online history before the murder included searches for “burying someone alive,” “grave sites, how many meters,” and “can you marry in-law if sister dead, muslim,” according to evidence presented in court during his sentencing hearing. On August 31, 2018, Ms. Yusuf’s husband killed her inside their home while their two children, ages five and two, slept in their beds.
A post-mortem was unable to determine her cause of death or whether she was still alive when Seedat buried her in a pre-dug hole down the side of their house, despite the fact that he admitted to beating her with a wheel brace and strangling her.
Judge Bruno Fiannaca remarked that the act of smothering his wife, which Seedat claimed she muttered as he did so, revealed her desperation. He argued that because Seedat’s conduct were cowardly and heartless, his sentence must serve as a general deterrent against domestic violence.
