The Villa Liza teenager who was arrested last September for the stabbing of a couple in a park in Dawn Park has been sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison.
Curtis Lapoorte, who was 19 at the time, stabbed the man to death with a butcher’s knife and left his girlfriend seriously injured after they refused to give him money for drugs.
According to the Dawn Park SAPS spokesperson, Const Nkemeleng Mabula, when police arrived at the park in Galahad Street on September 16, 2019, at around 4pm, they found the victims on the ground with stab wounds.
Aubrey Molime was certified dead on scene by paramedics and his girlfriend, Pretty Hlongwane, was taken to hospital.
Investigations revealed the couple were in their car when Molime got out of the car to throw takeaway packaging in a bin. He was then approached by Lapoorte, and the two spoke for a few seconds.
Molime reportedly got back into the car and Lapoorte followed him.
Lapoorte opened the car door and then stabbed Molime once in his upper body, between his lung and heart.
It was determined he had stabbed Molime only once but pushed the knife downwards, leaving a 10cm wound.
The seriously wounded Molime got out of the car and tried to walk but collapsed a few metres from the car.
Hlongwane was also stabbed in the back when she got out of the car to try to protect her partner.
Lapoorte then got into the couple’s car with the intention of stealing it but when he realised residents had seen the attack he got out and ran away.
Residents gave chase and apprehended him, whereafter police were called and Lapoorte taken to Dawn Park SAPS.
Facing charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery, Lapoorte appeared in the Johannesburg High Court last month. He was found guilty on all charges.
On the charge of murder, Lapoorte was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment, on the charge of attempted murder he received another 10 years and on the charge of robbery an additional seven years. The sentences will run concurrently.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Lapoorte told the court on that fatal day when he approached the couple he had asked them for money to buy drugs, but Molime refused to give him money which made him angry. So he then stabbed the couple.
The Dawn Park SAPS investigating officer, Sgt Mongi Mhlawuli, who secured the conviction said he was elated the affected families have eventually received justice for their loved ones.
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