25 year sentence for double murder accused
"He felt a presence behind him and without checking to see who it was, he drew the knife from his belt and stabbed Rita twice in the neck."
THE man who was nabbed by a vigilant Brighton Beach SAPS detective after he stabbed and killed a mother and daughter in Pietermaritzburg was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty at the Pietermaritzburg High Court, on Monday, July 4.
Shane Steven Boucher (38), pleaded guilty to theft and the murders of Rita Westfahl (76), and her daughter, Carol Lesley Westfahl (58), on Thursday, May 26.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KZN, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said Boucher told the court he knew the women for 15 years, as they lived near his mother’s house in the Oribi area, outside Pietermaritzburg.
“On the day of the incident, he had consumed three quarts of beer at his home in Thornville, before going to the Oribi area to visit his friend. Since his friend was not at home, he stopped over at the Westfahl’s home. There, he and Rita drank some beers together, and when he was too drunk to travel, she asked him to stay over till the next day,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
In his plea, Boucher said since there was load-shedding that night, he went to the kitchen in the dark to drink some water. He felt a presence behind him and without checking to see who it was, he drew the knife from his belt and stabbed Rita twice in the neck. He then panicked and decided to run away, but on his way to fetch his bag, he bumped into Carol. Fearing that she might identify him, he decided to kill her as well, by stabbing her. Since it was dark and he had no transport, he fled in Rita’s car. He drove down to Durban, where he lived on the beach until he was arrested in the Bluff area.
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Boucher had walked into a supermarket to buy bread when he was spotted by Captain Brad Varley, who noticed his strange body language. Varley had been chatting with a fellow colleague from SAPS Airwing, Warrant Officer Riaan van Zyl, at the entrance of the store when Boucher, dressed in a hoody covering his head and wearing a face mask, lowered his head and prevented eye contact as he walked passed them.
“His strange body language was suspicious and I knew something was amiss. I followed him into the store while Van Zyl guarded the entrance. As he walked through the store, I watched him, until he got to the cash point, where I approached him. That was when I realised that he was a person wanted by the authorities. I saw the crime scene photos and it was gruesome. Those poor women really suffered. I am thankful that I was able to identify this man by his behaviour and I am proud that my vigilance led to justice being served,” said Varley.
In court, senior state advocate, Candy Kander, handed in a victim impact statement compiled by Rita’s daughter and facilitated by court preparation officer, Nokuvela Mlotshwa, which explained that the woman cannot recover from losing her mother and sister at the same time, especially at the hands of someone they knew so well. She said that they were kind caring people and she misses them dearly.
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Boucher was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for Rita’s murder, 25 years imprisonment for Carol’s murder and five years imprisonment for theft. He will serve an effect of 25 years imprisonment.
“In sentencing Boucher, the court considered that he was a first offender, with no previous or pending convictions. He was also remorseful and complied with authorities as soon as he was arrested. The NPA welcomes the swift finalisation of this matter and commends the work done by the prosecutor and the investigating team,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
