Cape Town - Nearly three years after University of the Western Cape (UWC) student Jesse Hess, 18, and her 85-year-old grandfather Christ Lategan were murdered, their killer was sentenced in the Western Cape High Court.
The accused in the matter, David van Boven and Tasliem Ambrose, sat nervously waiting to hear their fate in the dock.
Ambrose could be seen praying before proceedings began.
On May 10, Van Boven was convicted and found guilty of both murders, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, sexual assault, and fraud.
Ambrose was found guilty for the two counts of robbery but only as an accessory after the fact and was acquitted on all other charges.
On Tuesday, Van Boven was sentenced to two life terms for the murders, while Ambrose was sentenced to six years for his part in the two robberies during the murders.
Hess and Lategan were found dead in their Parow flat on August 30, 2019.
Both had been strangled to death, while Hess had also been raped by Van Boven.
Van Boven was arrested months later after he was sought for raping a 16-year-old girl from Hanover Park.
He is alleged to belong to the 28s gang.
During the lengthy trial, Van Boven and Ambrose pleaded not guilty.
However, the criminals quickly turned on each other as police gave evidence on the different versions of events they recorded as told by the two, as well as confessions.
State advocate Emily van Wyk called 10 witnesses to give testimony and handed in 23 pieces of documentary evidence to prove their case.
This still saw Judge Judith Cloete find the State proved beyond reasonable doubt Van Boven was, in fact, the killer and mastermind behind the crime.
While giving her judgment, Judge Cloete gave her observations of Van Boven.
Judge Cloete’s observations of Van Boven’s behaviour during the trial was he “has something of a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde manner about him, if he is getting his way, he can be charming and is clearly intelligent. However, when he is not getting his way, he transforms into an aggressive and violent person”, The Cape Argus published at the time.
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