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The finer details of what transpired when 9-year-old Sadia Sukhraj was shot dead are expected to emerge in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Tuesday when the trial of the man accused of her murder is expected to kick off.
It is alleged that Sibonelo Mkhize killed Sukhraj during a botched hijacking in Shallcross, Chatsworth, in Durban on May 28, 2018.
He faces charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Mkhize's alleged accomplice, Siyabonga Bulose, was killed while fleeing from the scene.
On the day of the incident, the two allegedly demanded car keys from Sadia's father, well-known Pastor Shailendra Sukhraj.
READ: Murder-accused in Sadia Sukhraj botched hijacking death to be tried in February
The shocked father threw his car keys at the assailants.
As they fled with Sadia inside the vehicle, Shailendra took his licensed gun and fired several gunshots towards the hijackers.
The Grade 4 Everest Primary School pupil was shot in the chest and was taken to Chatsmed Hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.
Bulose died immediately after the car came to a stop. The cause of his death was found to be a penetrating gunshot wound to the pelvis.
An off-duty police officer arrested Mkhize a short distance from Sadia's grandparents' home.
He previously claimed in court that police beat him, but prosecutor Surekha Marimuthoo disputed this and countered that Mkhize sustained his injuries from a public beating during his arrest.
The State is expected to call 33 witnesses to testify and the trial is expected to run until February 28.
Sadia's death sparked massive public outcry over crime in Chatsworth.
