Michaela Williams murder case postponed to 12 February

The family and loved ones of young Michaela Williams, who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by her neighbour, will have to wait another two weeks to hear how long her killer will spend behind bars.

On Friday, sentencing proceedings against Steven Fortune was postponed until 12 February in the Western Cape High Court.

Fortune, 49, pleaded guilty to strangling Michaela, 12, first with her top and later her skirt and flinging two concrete blocks onto her head at a vacant plot in Schaapkraal on 7 January last year.

He also admitted to raping and sodomising her before committing the premeditated murder.

Fortune said he had seen Michaela playing in the courtyard of the block of flats where he lived on the day of the murder.

When she was alone, he had told her he would buy her a gift, knowing already that he would rape and kill her as her family were his neighbours and she would be able to identify him to the police.

He sad he later told her he would buy her a chocolate and cake if she went with him and she agreed.

They walked together towards where he would eventually kill her, but near the scene, she refused to go any further. When she tried to run away, he pulled her by the hand to a broken down structure on a vacant plot.

She started to scream, he covered her mouth and a struggle ensued. When she fell to the ground, he tore off her orange top she was wearing and choked her with his hands.

She fought back, hitting his glasses off his face and causing the top of his nose to bleed. He choked her until she lost consciousness.

He tied her hands with her top and raped her. When she regained consciousness, and screamed, he used her skirt to choke her and later threw two concrete blocks on her head to make sure she was dead.

Her body was covered with a blanket, branches and grass and Fortune went back home. When a search for Michaela started, Fortune pretended to assist.

He handed himself to the police the next day after hearing they had been looking for him and made a confession.

He later took authorities to where he hid Michaela’s body.

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