South African Court Jails 71-Year-Old Woman for Killing Three Great-Grandchildren
The court found she acted with intent after a psychiatric panel ruled she was mentally fit and rejected her diminished-responsibility claim.
- On Thursday, the Worcester Regional Court sentenced 71-year-old Susara Johanna de Villiers to 20 years in prison for the premeditated murders of her three great-grandchildren, Caleb Booysen, Gradwell Booysen, and Joshua Booysen, in the Western Cape.
- De Villiers drove her vehicle off Bainskloof Pass in Ceres, Western Cape, on November 20, 2021, killing the three children who were in her care that day.
- Prosecutor Cornelius Prinsloo argued the killing was premeditated, noting De Villiers drove approximately 23 kilometres in the wrong direction, bypassed traffic control points, and drove through a gap in the barriers before plunging the vehicle down the mountainside.
- The court imposed concurrent 20-year sentences for each murder, totaling 20 years of imprisonment, and ruled the 71-year-old was not fit to possess a firearm, according to the National Prosecuting Authority.
- A psychiatric panel found De Villiers mentally fit, describing her conduct as "goal-directed but impulsive," while she testified her motive was to spare herself and the children from further suffering.
14 Articles
14 Articles
South African court jails 71-year-old woman for killing three great-grandchildren
A 71-year-old South African woman, Susana “Sarie” De Villiers, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing her three great-grandchildren. According to South African news outlet Nova News, De Villiers pleaded guilty to the three murders in March 2025. The Worcester Regional Court in the Western Cape sentenced her on Thursday. The victims […] South African court jails 71-year-old woman for killing three great-grandchildren
Susara de Villiers sentenced to 20 years for killing three children
A 71-year-old woman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for each of the murders of her three young great-grandchildren after driving them off a mountain pass in the Western Cape in November 2021. According to the Citizen, Susara Johanna de Villiers was sentenced by the Worcester Regional Court after pleading guilty to the premeditated killings of Caleb, eight,... Read more →
Pensioner sentenced for premeditated murders of three great-grandchildren
71-Year-Old Woman Sentenced To 20 Years For Premeditated Murder Of Her Three Great-Grandchildren In South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA: 71-Year-Old Woman Sentenced To 20 Years For Premeditated Murder Of Her Three Great-Grandchildren In South Africa 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, South Africa. Susana “Sarie” De Villiers, 71, was found guilty of […] The post 71-Year-Old Woman Sentenced To 20 Years For Premeditated Murder Of Her T…
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