Cape Town – The Community at the Oribi Village in Pietermaritzburg was reportedly left in shock following the gruesome murder of an elderly woman, Rita Westfahl, 76, and her special-needs daughter Carol Lesley Westfahl, 58.
Reports indicated that a man aged 38, Shane Steven Boucher, had since been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment following the incident.
Boucher pleaded guilty to killing the two women when he appeared in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg.
The incident occurred on May 25, 2022.
According to News24, Boucher told the court that on the day of the murder, he first drank three quarts of beer at his home in Thornville before going to Oribi to visit his friend.
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“Since his friend was not at home, he stopped over at the Westfahls’ home. There, he and Rita drank some beers together. When he was too drunk to travel, Rita asked him to stay over until the next day,” the report quoted the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara as saying.
Boucher had apparently known the women for 15 years, as they had been neighbours with his mother.
He said that during the night, he went to the kitchen to drink water, IOL reported.
It was dark because of load shedding, he said.
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“He said, while drinking water, he felt a presence behind him, and without checking who it was, he drew his knife from his belt and stabbed Rita twice in the neck.
“He then killed Carol because he was scared she would tell the police and fled in Rita’s car,” the repot said.
The two women’s death was noticed by neighbours who said they became suspicious when they saw the gate open with no car inside, according to The Witness.
“When they went to check, they said they found the two women dead, with blood on the floor,” the report said
Bloucher, who worked as a construction worker on a farm was arrested in Bluff, Durban, two weeks later.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
