Moodley gets life

2005-08-04 10:53

Johannesburg - Convicted killer Donovan Moodley will remain behind bars until he is 65, the Johannesburg High Court ruled on Thursday.

Judge Joop Labuschagne sentenced the 25-year-old to life imprisonment for the murder of university student Leigh Matthews.

Labuschagne imposed an additional sentence of 15 years for her kidnapping, to be served concurrently with 10 years for the extortion of a R50 000 ransom from Matthews' family.

Moodley confessed in the high court last Monday to kidnapping Matthews on July 9 last year, extorting money from her parents, and killing her in cold blood.

Labuschagne found him guilty on all three counts.

The State used policemen, scientists and a pathologist in a bid to show Moodley had also stored the body in a refrigerator for 12 days before staging the crime scene in Walkerville.

Witnesses testified Matthews' body was not decomposed when it was discovered.

They contended the position of cartridge cases did not match Moodley's recollection of the shooting, and that over four litres of blood were still missing.

In closing statements last Friday, Moodley denied the State's accusations.

Matthews, 21, was kidnapped from Bond SA university in Johannesburg. Her naked body was discovered by a grass cutter on July 21. She had been shot in the head, neck and chest.

Moodley was finally arrested on October 4, after he got engaged to Yeshika Singh on a yacht in August.

Moodley's defence asked the judge not to impose a life sentence.

The prosecution however asked for a life sentence, more than 16 years for kidnapping and a further 15 for extortion.

- SAPA