Ruan van Heerden has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for the murder of his mother after stabbing her more than 30 times in their home in Pretoria in 2020.
The 20-year-old son pleaded guilty, and was convicted of murder, attempted murder, and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Van Heerden and his co-accused, Carlson Phelps, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. He was convicted and sentenced after entering into a plea agreement with the State.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), on 09 January 2020, his mother reprimanded him for stealing R200 from his father’s wallet.
Later that evening, the mother was sitting in the living room and her husband, Barney Van Heerden went to sleep.
While Magda had been sitting in the living room, Van Heerden went to the kitchen, where he got a knife, before going back to his mother.
During that same time, according to the plea agreement, Phelps went to the bedroom where Barney was sleeping.
Van Heerden pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
He was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for murder, five years for attempted murder, and 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered that the other sentences run concurrently with the murder sentence.
According to the plea agreement, the State and defence teams agreed that compelling and substantial circumstances existed for the court, at its discretion, to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentences.