A man who shot and killed his wife and stepdaughter with a hunting rifle was on Tuesday sentenced to an effective 25 years imprisonment by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria.
Paul Philipps Prinsloo, 63, was earlier convicted on two counts of premeditated murder of his 58-year-old wife, Magdalenne Prinsloo, and 33-year-old stepdaughter, Ruzanna Prinsloo.
The couple, the stepdaughter, and a 6-year-old granddaughter were staying together at Kosmos village in Hartbeespoort. On November 27, 2023, Prinsloo was at his home sitting outside the house. His friend had visited him at the time when an argument ensued between him, his wife, and his stepdaughter.
Prinsloo then went upstairs to his room, fetched his firearm, and shot his stepdaughter. When she fell, he proceeded to shoot his wife. Thereafter, he went to fetch a Bible and placed it on top of his wife’s body.
After realising that the two were deceased, the friend took the grandchild with him and called the police, informing them about the incident.
Prinsloo was arrested the same day at the scene and has been in custody since, as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had successfully opposed his release on bail.
In court, Prinsloo pleaded guilty to murder, but he maintained that the killings were not premeditated.
State prosecutor Advocate Bongani Khoza, however, provided the court with evidence proving that the murders were indeed premeditated.
During sentencing proceedings and through his legal representation, Prinsloo asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because of his age and ill health.
He also asked the court to consider the fact that he had already spent more than a year in custody awaiting the finalisation of his matter.
However, Khoza argued for life imprisonment and told the court that Prinsloo only pleaded guilty because the State had overwhelming evidence against him.
The court was also told that he committed serious offences of gender-based violence (GBV), which is not only prevalent in this jurisdiction but in the country as a whole.
Khoza added that the courts need to put a stop to this by imposing an appropriate sentence.
When handing down the sentence, Judge Mashudu Munzhelele found that there were substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because of his age.
The judge also considered the fact that Prinsloo showed remorse by offering money to the grandchild, as well as the fact that he is terminally ill.
The NPA, meanwhile, welcomed the sentence and gave the assurance of its commitment to fighting the scourge of GBV in the communities.