Two teenagers, accused of strangling and stabbing to death teenager Samantha Uys, were found guilty of her murder in the Pretoria High Court on Friday.
Handing down judgement, Judge Tholi Vilakazi found Ricky ”Slash” Godfrey and Kabelo ”KB” Mokwena, both 19, guilty of the November 2005 murder, where Uys was strangled and stabbed three times in the neck.
This comes after the three took Uys’s mother’s car to a party in Sunnyside. On their way to the party, they stopped by a bridge where the accused smoked dagga before murdering Uys.
In their earlier court appearance, Godfrey testified that Mokwena suddenly attacked Uys, throttling and stabbing her to death before picking up a rock and dropping it on her head.
Her decomposing body was found nine days after she was seen in the company of the two accused.
Godfrey claimed he helped Mokwena dispose of her body because he feared for his life.
In his judgement, Vilakazi said the court found it ”improbable” that Godfrey was ”merely a bystander” while Mokwena killed Uys — considering that the three were friends.
Godfrey in testimony said that he had only helped to get rid of the body because Mokwena had threatened to kill him and harm his grandmother.
”The court does not believe you one inch,” the judge said.
The judge added that Godfrey had the opportunity to report the matter. He said it was clear that Mokwena had played the major role in the murder. ”He did not deny it … the two of you acted in common purpose”.
Outside the courtroom, Uys’s mother, Megan, said she felt pity for the two accused.
”I am happy. I feel very sad for them — what they did is totally silly and completely stupid. I’ve never felt any anger [towards them], just pity,” she said.
Godfrey’s mother, Jenny van Rooyen, said: ”I feel sorry for Samantha’s family. Children don’t realise what they put their parents through … they choose the wrong friends and they don’t listen … He didn’t commit the murder.”
Both men were found guilty of murder and robbery and sentencing is scheduled for March 9 2008. They remain in custody. — Sapa