Hartbeespoort man jailed for murder of wife, stepdaughter
The High Court in Pretoria has sentenced a 63-year-old man to 25 years in prison for the double murder of his wife and daughter.
Paul Philipps Prinsloo pleaded guilty to the murders of his 58-year-old wife, Magdalene Prinsloo, and his 34-year-old stepdaughter, Ruzanna Prinsloo.
The couple, the stepdaughter and a 6-year-old granddaughter, were staying together at Kosmo village in Hartbeespoort.
In November 2023, Paul was involved in a heated argument with his wife and stepdaughter.
He then went to his room, fetched his firearm and shot his stepdaughter and the wife.
Thereafter, he placed a bible on top of the wife’s body.
He was later arrested.
During court proceedings, the accused asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence because of his age and ill health, including taking into consideration that he had already spent more than a year in custody during the trial.
However, the National Prosecuting Authority argued that the court needed to send a strong message against perpetrators of violence against women and children.
"In court, Paul pleaded guilty to murder not premeditated of the two. However, the state prosecutor, Advocate Bongani Khoza, provided the court with evidence which proved that the murders were indeed premeditated," said NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana
"Advocate Khoza argued for life imprisonment and told the court that Paul only pleaded guilty because the state had overwhelming evidence against him."
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