Cape Town - It’s over now,” expressed Lance Hess, the father of slain Jesse Hess, as tears of relief and tight hugs with State advocate Emily van Wyk were shared in an intimate scene in a Western Cape High Court corridor on Tuesday after his daughter’s murderer was sentenced to life behind bars.
Nearly three years later, David van Boven, Jesse’s second cousin, was handed two life sentences after the bodies of the theology student and her grandfather Chris Lategan were found in their Parow home in 2019.
The two were strangled to death but Jesse, a student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), was also sexually assaulted.
Two television sets, a cellphone and a laptop were stolen from the house.
Van Boven received 40 years for two counts of robbery, eight years for sexual assault, and three years for fraud. The sentences will run concurrently with the life sentences for murder.
He was convicted in May of both murders.
His accomplice Tasliem Ambrose, who was acquitted of the murders, was sentenced to six years for his part in the robberies during the attack.
Police spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala said: “An intensive investigation by our detectives revealed that Van Boven committed the murders and that Ambrose participated in the robbery at the victims’ home. During the trial, the duo turned on each other, revealing the gruesome details of what had transpired on the day of the heinous crime.”
Judge Judith Cloete said Van Boven had shown no remorse while Ambrose apologised to the families.
“Evidence provided shows accused 1 (Van Boven) is an individual that preys on the defenceless and vulnerable, and has no compassion even when it comes to close relatives.”
Judge Cloete said she believed that on that fateful day, Van Boven snuffed out his second cousin’s life without a thought.
“The accused is completely lacking remorse, he believes he’s entitled to do as he pleases and to take whatever he wants irrespective of the rights and consequences to others. To my mind, this makes him a deeply disturbed individual and extremely dangerous,” said Cloete.
Lance Hess said the double sentences would finally bring a level of peace in their lives.
“The journey has been very hard. I would normally be quiet a week or day before court preparing myself to face the perpetrators.
“There were times me and my other daughter would break down.
“This took a lot away from me as a father. Now it’s time for us to work on healing and focus on our lives ahead, while we will never forget Jesse. I think that's what she would also want us to do.
“I really appreciated the advocates, investigating police who worked hard on the case, UWC community and all the people who have supported us leading up to this day,” said Hess.
Jesse’s aunt Sandy said she couldn’t attend the proceedings due to Lategan’s widow being ill as the case has taken a toll on her health.
“While we will never know his reasons for doing what he did, I doubt it was going to make a difference in how we are feeling.
“He doesn't exist to us and must rot there in jail. We have waited for a long time for this day and are grateful for the verdict. Many families are still waiting for the justice we got today.”
Cape Times