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Teens to wait for Uys judgement
13/10/2007 11:25 - (SA)
Pretoria - Two 19-year-old youths accused of strangling and stabbing to death teenager Samantha Uys two years ago will have to wait for another two months to hear their fate.
Pretoria High Court Judge Tholi Vilakazi on Friday postponed the trial of Ricky "Slash" Godfrey and Kabelo "KB" Mokwena to December 6 for judgment.
The state has argued that both men should be convicted on charges of murdering Uys in November 2005 and violently robbing her of her mother's car.
Uys's decomposing body was discovered in a quarry near Mamelodi nine days after she was last seen in the company of Godfrey and Mokwena, who were her "friends".
Godfrey has blamed the murder on Mokwena, claiming in testimony that Mokwena had suddenly and without warning attacked Uys, throttling and stabbing her in the neck. Mokwena had wanted to sell the car Uys was driving for drug money.
He said Mokwena had later also picked up a rock and dropped it onto Uys's head at the place where they dumped the body.
Godfrey claimed he had helped Mokwena to get rid of the body only because Mokwena had repeatedly threatened to kill him and harm his grandmother.
The state, however, argued that Godfrey had several opportunities to flee or ask for help. He had even driven past a police station on the night of the murder, which was the conduct of a willing partner.
Godfrey's Counsel argued that he had been a terrified youth who was only 17-years-old at the time and he could not have been expected to act rationally.
Counsel for Mokwena, who chose not to testify, argued that the state had not proved its case against him beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence of one of Mokwena's friends, who claimed Mokwena had confessed the murder to him, was on its own not strong enough to justify a conviction.
Both accused remain in custody.
- SAPA
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