Pirie-Gray Neville (40), a manager who killed his subordinate at the Rusty Lady Deli Bistro in Kensington on July 8, 2013, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
He was also sentenced to 15 years for rape.
The Cleveland SAPS communications officer, Constable Mpho Mashakane, said Neville ordered Ms Natalie Dube (25) to stay behind and perform stock taking as she had arrived late for work on the morning of July 8.
“The following morning, she was not at work and nobody knew where she was. Her cellular phone was also off. Her colleagues opened a case that afternoon after 4pm,” she said.
Const Mashakane said shortly after the case was opened, one of the employees made a gruesome discovery.
“Natalie’s body, with a slit throat, several stab wounds and her feet and hands tied with an electrical cord, was found in a store room. The security footage had been deleted,” said Const Mashakane.
She said the SAPS investigation led to the manager’s house in the area.
“Blood stains were found in one of his rooms. It was later established that Neville had booked into a hotel in Edenvale, where he was arrested on the same day,” she said.
Const Mashakane said Neville was on parole when he killed Ms Dube.
“In 2002 he was arrested for rape by the Benoni SAPS. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. He also had a few cases of robbery opened against him,” she said.
“At that time, Neville claimed he was mentally ill. He was then admitted to the Sterkfontein Hospital in July 2014 for observation. After several tests, he was found to be fit to stand trial and had no mental illness,” said Const Mashakane.
The Cleveland SAPS station commander, Colonel Bongani Dlamini, congratulated the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Frans Gildenhuys, following the conviction.
