ACQUITTED ACCUSED: 'I TRIED TO HELP'

AFTER being acquitted of the murder of Franco D’este, Ethan Fisher told the Daily Voice that the past six years have caused immense emotional distress, reputational damage, and personal hardship for him and his family.

Fisher faced charges of murdering slain Cape influencer D’este in a Cape Town CBD shooting on 7 September 2019.

D'este passed away shortly afterwards at Christiaan Barnard Hospital and Fisher was also charged with attempted murder of the deceased’s friend.

The Cape Town Regional Court heard on 11 July that Fisher, 24, was acquitted of both charges as the court found that he acted in self-defence.

Fisher explains: “I sympathise with the family and those who knew the deceased. What happened that night was tragic.

"But the reality is that I was being attacked. I did what I could to avoid the situation, but when I had no other option, I had to defend myself.

“After the incident, I wanted to reach out to the family, but my attorney at the time strongly advised against it because the matter was in court. 

“After the verdict, I looked for them in court, but they had already left. We approached the prosecutor to help facilitate contact, but have not heard back since.”

During the trial the court heard that when the incident occurred there was an altercation between D’este, his friend and Fisher which led to him taking his licensed firearm out.

The court heard testimonies from two state witnesses and Fisher who testified in his defence.

The magistrate says: “[Fisher’s] version for me makes more sense of what truly happened that evening. There is natural flow in his evidence of how he and [his friend] came across the deceased and his friends. 

“[Fisher’s friend] spoke to the guys and he noticed something is wrong with [D’este’s friend.] He offered his assistance and [D’este’s friend] took offence, following him and confronting him. 

“There is an explanation in his version of how the tragic story started, developed and played out. He was cross-examined by the State, but he was able to answer difficult questions and explain certain unclear issues in his evidence.”

CCTV footage was also exhibited as evidence of the incident and the magistrate said that there “was indeed an imminent attack on Fisher by D’este and his friend.”