The man who as a teenager killed his parents and sister on the farm Naauwhoek outside Griekwastad.
The man who as a teenager killed his parents and sister on the farm Naauwhoek outside Griekwastad, will not be released on parole at this stage.
The parole board initially granted parole in December last year, but the correctional supervision and parole review board has now decided otherwise.
Dr. Pieter Groenewald, minister of correctional services, confirmed to Maroela Media on Thursday afternoon that the prisoner remains behind bars, after he asked the minister for a review of the decision at the parole review board.
The man, now 29, was sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison in August 2014, after he was found guilty of the murders of Deon Steenkamp (44), his wife, Christel (43), and their daughter Marthella (14). He was also found guilty of raping Marthella and defeating the law after he tried to derail the investigation.
The sentences are to be served concurrently.
The Constitutional Court previously ruled that the names of minor crime victims and minor criminals may not be made public, even after they reach adulthood.
A picture of Deon, Christelle and Marthella Steenkamp during their funeral service. Photo: Maricelle Botha/OFM
That’s how things go
The Griekwastad murders were one of the most sensational murder cases in South Africa. The young age of the killer, the fact that he was a well-known face in his community and the brutality of the crime sent shockwaves through the country.
The 15-year-old boy who was later found guilty of the murders initially claimed that the family were victims of a farm attack. He even led the police to a farm worker whom he falsely implicated as a suspect. However, this version soon began to crumble.
In 2012 and 2013, forensic findings – from ballistics tests to blood trace analysis and a complete reconstruction – systematically disproved his version.
It became clear that the murders took place in his presence and that a farm attack was unlikely. He was arrested in 2013 and pleaded not guilty.
On 27 March 2014, Judge Frans Kgomo found him guilty on all five charges.
Hannes Cloete, state prosecutor, described the murders at the time as a calculated attempt to cover up Marthella’s rape. He was sent to prison two days before his 18th birthday.