Death and Trial
Biehl was a student at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town as a scholar in the Fulbright Program.
As she drove a friend home to the township of Guguletu, outside Cape Town, on August 25, 1993, a black mob pulled her from the car and killed her. According to Rex van Schalkwyk, in his 1998 book One Miracle is Not Enough: “Supporters of the three men accused of murdering … burst out laughing in the public gallery of the Supreme Court today when a witness told how the battered woman groaned in pain.” (pp. 188-89.) Four people were convicted of killing her. In 1998, all were pardoned by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission when they stated that their actions had been politically motivated.
Biehl's family supported the release of the killers, and her father shook the murderers' hands, stating:
| “ | The most important vehicle of reconciliation is open and honest dialogue...we are here to reconcile a human life which was taken without an opportunity for dialogue. When we are finished with this process we must move forward with linked arms. | ” |
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