NPA welcomes sentencing of Western Cape magistrate’s killer

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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape has welcomed the sentencing of murder accused, Cassidy Hartzenberg.

The 20-year-old has been sentenced to an effective 20 years direct imprisonment for the murder of his aunt, Magistrate Romay van Rooyen in September 2022 and six years for the theft of her vehicle.

The sentences will run concurrently.

Van Rooyen was found dead at her house in Marina Da Gama near Muizenberg,  a morning after she was strangled to death by her nephew, Hartzenberg.

NPA Spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila says a pre-sentence agreement has been reached with the offender.

He says, “I must say it’s a very sad day that we handing down a sentence to a nephew of Romay Van Rooyen, a former colleague who was an advocate in the NPA for years, but later moved to the magistrates position.”

“It’s a very sad day that we are handing down a sentence to someone who confessed that the magistrate was looking after him and his family emotionally and financially, and they had a good relationship. The only challenge that was there is that on the day of the murder, he asked for money and she refused to give him money. He was a drug user.”

VIDEO: Hawks take over investigation of  Van Rooyen’s murder: