Pensioner sentenced for premeditated murders of three great-grandchildren
A 71-year-old woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2021 murder of her three great-grandchildren. The court rejected her plea of diminished responsibility, finding her mentally fit and capable of understanding her actions.
Why it matters
This case highlights the intersection of mental health, criminal responsibility, and judicial sentencing in South Africa.
Ask AI 4 min Eight-year-old Caleb, five-year-old Gradwell, and two-year-old Joshua Booysen died in the crash after their great-grandmother drove them off Bainskloof Pass in November 2021.
A pensioner has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the premeditated murders of her three great-grandchildren in the Worcester Regional Court in the Western Cape .
Susana “Sarie” De Villiers, 71, was found guilty of the premeditated murders of her great-grandchildren, eight-year-old Caleb, five-year-old Gradwell, and two-year-old Joshua Booysen on November 20, 2021.
The court heard that De Villiers asked the children to bid their great-grandfather farewell and told them no one would ever hurt them again before deliberately driving them over the Bainskloof Pass.
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