A security guard committed suicide with a snake by inciting his own deadly snakes to deliver fatal bites after being arrested by police in South Africa.
Marius Joubert, 28, died in agony after his illegally smuggled Indochinese spitting cobra and a second snake injected lethal venom into his hand and wrist after he reached into their tanks.
The snake dealer was fully aware that since his cobra had been smuggled into South Africa from Thailand, 5,500 miles away, there was no antidote to save its life.
The armed security officer realized that the police were about to uncover his illegal business of importing illegal animals which could cost him 25 years behind bars.
So instead of facing a long stint in a hellish jail, a death sentence was imposed, even while the police were present at his house.
Marius Joubert, 28, died in agony after his Indochinese spitting cobra and a second snake injected lethal venom into his hand and wrist after he reached into their tanks.
This is the Indochinese spitting cobra with which Marius Joubert committed suicide by putting the hand of a snake in his tank to receive a lethal bite in South Africa
The married guard, who was considered an “exemplary employee” by his bosses, was detained for several days after being arrested for robbery and theft in his hometown.
Police in Hennenman, 100 miles north of Bloemfontein, had held him for questioning and were about to take him back to his home to search it for proceeds of crime.
He realized his huge collection of animals would be found in the house where he lived with his wife Chimonet, 26, and that serious charges under the Wildlife Act would follow.
Officers drove him in a marked car to the corner townhouse, unaware that a guest room, bedroom, living room and hallway were filled with more than 60 snakes.
They were surprised to also find a crocodile, iguanas, monitor lizards, tarantulas, hedgehogs and ferrets, all kept warm with solar energy, special heating pads and exhaust fans.
It didn’t seem unusual to officers when they removed his handcuffs so he could reveal the stolen property when he asked if he could feed the creatures he said would starve.
What they didn’t expect was that he would then use his own snakes to commit suicide.
A source close to the investigation said: ‘Joubert knew that sooner or later, after his arrest, the police would visit his house and find all these illegally kept creatures.
“And he knew that the crimes he would be charged with would be much more serious and that many of the snakes and animals he had could put him behind bars for 25 years.
Pictured: An archive photograph of an Indochinese spitting cobra, the same species that bit Marius Joubert after he purposely put his hand into a tank.
South African viper rescued from Marius Joubert’s illegal snake collection
Two-foot juvenile Nile crocodile found in Marius Joubert’s home
“He asked if he could feed his snakes and once the handcuffs were removed, he put his hands into two cages and two snakes bit him in the wrist area and then restrained him.
“We know that one of the snakes that bit him was an Indochinese spitting cobra that would have put a large amount of venom into him, but we don’t know what the other snake was,” the source added.
“An ambulance was called but Joubert refused treatment and said he would be fine and was taken back to the police station and warned of further animal-related charges.
“Meanwhile, the paperwork for robbery and theft was completed and he was about to be released with a warning until his court date, when he started looking very bad,” they continued.
He then collapsed and was rushed by another ambulance to Bongani Hospital in Welkom, but as the spitting cobra is not native to South Africa, there was no antidote.
“The venom is both a neurotoxin and a cytotoxin, meaning it closed his lungs and suffocated him, as well as causing severe bleeding and destroying his body tissues.
“It was an extremely painful and horrible way to end his life and it took approximately 9 hours from the bite until he collapsed and another 3 hours until the snake’s venom killed him,” he said.
Captain Stephen Thakeng of the Free State Police confirmed that Joubert had been taken to his home on Easter Saturday, March 30, to further investigate the criminal charges.
He confirmed that his officers reported that Joubert had reached into two of the cages and that his actions were deliberate and that he intended to be bitten.
He said the suspect was taken back to the police station, charged and was about to be released pending an appearance at Hennenman Magistrates Court on April 5.
Captain Thakeng added: “We didn’t know there were poisonous snakes on the property when we went to the address, but once inside he opened two cages and reached inside.
“It was deliberate and he was bitten twice on his hands and then he died in hospital.”
A police investigation has been launched to determine where the exotic pets came from and who the deceased’s clients were.
An investigation has also been opened into his violent death.
The security guard was facing a series of burglary and theft charges dating back to July after a private investigator presented evidence against him, leading to his initial arrest.
The source said: “Whether he convinced the police that the snake was not poisonous or not, I don’t know, but he didn’t appear to be in any danger until he suddenly collapsed.”
‘But he knew the snakes that bit him and he knew there would only be one result. It was clearly suicide by snake. It was just a waiting game until the poison killed him.
A water monitor rescued from the house where Marius Joubert was bitten by a snake
“He was involved in this for smuggling exotic creatures without permission and keeping them in cruel conditions and was facing multiple sentences of 25 years each.
‘It seems he wanted to take another route and his spitting cobra provided it. You can’t blame the police, they couldn’t suspect what he would do.
“The officer later called the hospital to check on him and was told he was dead,” he said.
The Bloemfontein Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was called and found 70 illegally bred animals, most of them snakes, and called in snake removal experts.
Stephanus Fourie and David Hayter removed 62 snakes, including a variety of exotic and local cobras, mambas, anacondas, pythons, rattlesnakes, copperheads and copperheads.
In addition to several deadly snakes, there were also exotic hedgehogs and ferrets, a Nile crocodile, African bullfrogs, iguanas, Nile and rock monitors and three sugar gliders.
They also carefully removed the two exotic Indochinese spitting cobras and said the one that bit Joubert was a full-grown adult nearly 5 feet long and very dangerous.
Bloemfontein SPCA chief inspector Reinet Meyer said: “The scenes inside the house were like a horror movie with more than 70 wild animals, all severely neglected.
‘All the animals were transported by the SPCA to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital by two snake catchers and are being examined and treated.
“We hope to eventually cure as many native species as possible and return them to their natural habitat, but unfortunately foreign exotic animals will have to be euthanized.
‘It is not our policy to house animals in zoos or captivity, but only in the wild.
‘Several of the animals and reptiles had already tragically succumbed to hunger and dehydration and were very neglected and in poor health and will need a lot of care.
‘This man would have had much more problems with the charges we would have brought against him for animal cruelty and possession of animals without permits than for theft.
Bloemfontein SPCA chief inspector Reinet Meyer (pictured) said: “The scenes inside the house were like a horror movie with over 70 wild animals, all severely neglected.”
‘He deliberately put his hand into two cages and was bitten twice. We know that one was the Indochinese spitting cobra, but we don’t know what the other type of snake was.
“It is clear that he wanted to commit suicide through his snakes, but I would have preferred to see him in court because what he did to those animals and how he kept them was totally cruel.
‘Joubert was a real coward to commit suicide rather than face what he did to those animals. It’s a shame that so many have to be sacrificed because of him,” he said.
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