Free State Hawks Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Moholobeli said the accused Gutter was arrested and processed the same day by members of Serious Organised Crime Investigation of the Hawks.
His arrest emanates from an incident that
on 29 August 2016, the police were summoned to what had been reported as an attack on Gutter’s Palnietfontein farm near Brandfort.
They found four suspects who had been arrested by a group of farmers and farm workers. Sonnyboy Segalo was among the four suspects accused of attempted robbery.
Segalo was found lying face-down with a bullet wound to his back. A firearm claimed to belong to the suspects was discovered three days later, not far from the scene.
This firearm and another belonging to Gutter were both handed in for ballistic testing. Sonnyboy later succumbed to his injuries. His three co-accused have since been acquitted of attempted robbery.
Although no one was initially arrested for the murder of Sonnyboy Segalo, an inquest into his murder was held by the Brandfort Magistrates Court from July 2024.
In March 2025, the court ordered that Gutter be arrested to appear in court for the murder of Sonnyboy Segalo.
Gutter was granted bail of R2 000 and the case was postponed to 29 May 2025 for transfer to the Brandfort Regional Court. Free State Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Major General Mokgadi Bokaba has commended the detectives and prosecution for refusing to give up on this case.
“This is evidence that the arm of the law is indeed long. Although we may appear to have reached a dead end in the beginning, new evidence can always surface, which resuscitates the investigation. This will not bring the deceased back, but it gives the family of Sonnyboy Segalo a shot at closure and justice,” said Maj Gen Bokaba.