PMB man handed 30 year sentence for killing elderly employer
A Pietermaritzburg man has begun serving his prison sentence after pleading guilty to killing his elderly employer.
Douglas Mataula (35) was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in the Pietermaritzburg High Court this week for the murder and robbery of Presbury resident Sharon-Lee Deetlefs last year.
He was employed as her gardener for three years.
The NPA's Natasha Kara says in his plea, Mataula confessed that he had previously broken into Deetlefs’ home twice before the incident to steal items he would sell.
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Kara says he told the court on the day in question, he went to the 62-year-old to ask her for taxi money but decided to break in when she didn’t arrive home.
He told the court that he was in the house when she arrived home and then strangled her to death.
”The matter was finalised in consultation with Deetlefs’ family and the investigating officer who accepted the plea and sentence agreement,” says Kara.
“Factors such as Mataula’s confession and compliance with police as well as the fact that he had no previous convictions or pending matters were taken into consideration during sentence proceedings, thus warranting a deviation from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
“The NPA welcomes the swift finalisation of this matter and hopes the sentence will alleviate the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide."
