A Dullstroom man accused of murdering his wife had begged her in text messages to take him back, the Pretoria High Court heard on Monday.

Inspector Lizette Fourie testified that she had checked murder accused Johan Riekert's cellphone after his arrest.

She found that he had sent numerous text messages to his wife and daughter shortly before the killing.

Riekert (43), has denied guilt to a charge of murdering his wife, Riekie, at a trout shop in Dullstroom in March last year.

In some of the messages, Riekert described himself as "clay" and his wife as "the potter".

He also repeatedly expressed his love for her and asked her to take him back. This was after she kicked him out of the house and told him she wanted a divorce.

He also sent messages to his daughter, accusing her and her brother of betraying him and siding with their mother.

One text message, sent the night before the shooting, was in the form of a prayer in which he asked for "mercy".

Early the next morning — hours before the murder — he again sent his wife a text message, asking if he could come back "as her loving husband".

Riekert’s last SMS

The last message was sent to his father-in-law shortly before 3.30pm.

It only said: "Riekie shot me. I grabbed the pistol and shot back".

A police ballistics expert, Superintendent Thea de Bruin, testified that Riekert had told her only two shots were fired at the scene — one hitting him and the other causing his wife's death.

He indicated that there had been a struggle with his wife and that she had stepped back because her nose was hurt.

He claimed he had stood with the firearm next to him and that a shot had gone off for some or other reason.

De Bruin said five shells and four bullets were picked up at the scene, but she could only find three marks made by bullets.

Two were inside the shop near a window and one was outside on a tile.

The trial continues.

Sapa