‘It feels like he took my heart out of my chest’ - Gabriela Alban's mother takes stand against Diego Novella

“It feels like he took my heart out of my chest and chopped it up. I feel just enough to be able to love my husband and my family‚ but most of me is gone."

These were the words of Doris Weitz‚ the mother of Gabriela Alban‚ who took the stand on Monday in the case against her daughter’s alleged killer‚ Diego Novella.

Alban was found dead in a Camps Bay hotel in July 2015. Throughout her testimony Weitz stared icily at Novella who appeared unable to hold her gaze.

• Murder accused Diego Novella believed aliens would take over the world“I’m not going” - The three-word SMS Gabriela Alban sent to her mother‚ Doris Weitz‚ 25 days before she was found dead in a Camps Bay hotel. 

A certified US State Department translator‚ Weitz was handed the photo which showed a hateful message written on her daughter’s body.

Despite the graphic nature of the image‚ Weitz remained composed staring directly at Novella.

“Can you read what the image says?” prosecutor Louise Freister Sampson asked. “Cerote‚” Weitz read confidently.

“And what does that translate to?” Sampson continued.

“Piece of shit‚” Weitz almost spat at Novella.

As her former husband Howdy Kabrins broke down‚ Weitz stood tall‚ her eyes almost piercing.

• Diego Novella's tattoo hints at US gang connectionA grey suit, blue tie and a blue scarf draped around his neck. It is Diego Novella's signature attire for his murder trial in the High Court in Cape Town. 

Novella remained stone-faced throughout her testimony‚ glancing briefly at Weitz.

"When I found out [about her death] I prayed for death‚” Weitz told the court

Earlier in her testimony Weitz recounted a one-sided relationship that left her daughter “emotionally and physically demolished‚” but still desperate to get to Cape Town where Alban hoped to get treatment for Lyme disease.

In a series of SMS messages read aloud in court‚ Alban described the breakdown of her relationship with Novella.

“Diego’s probably met somebody else. Who would want to be with me now‚ I’m some prize‚” Alban wrote.

“Things with Diego are beyond bad. His heart isn’t with me. He broke my heart and stepped all over it. My eyes are swollen from crying‚" Alban had written.

Weitz testified that couple didn’t seem “romantic‚ but looked like two friends.”

“Sadly I don’t have high hopes for things with Diego. There are been things with him that if I were strong and healthy I wouldn’t tolerate. And I feel pathetic for just tolerating them. I feel like I have lost myself with being sick. I never wanted to settle‚” Alban wrote.

• Distraught Gabriela Alban's dad faces his daughter's alleged killerHowdy Kabrins, the father of Gabriela Alban, stood tall in the witness box in the Cape Town High Court yesterday. 

Then in December 2014 Alban had returned home to Los Angeles‚ seven months before her trip to South Africa‚ because her relationship with Novella was “over”‚ according to Weitz.

Despite their troubles‚ Alban remained “so in love” with Novella she agreed to undergo the treatment in South Africa‚ hoping to rekindle their relationship.

Upon her arrival in Cape Town‚ Alban said she “felt like goldilocks” as she looked around the city. Although Novella couldn’t be reached for days‚ Alban said she remained “positive” in order to appease him.

This exchange was the last Weitz had with her daughter‚ four days before her body was found in a Camps Bay Retreat Boutique hotel. As Sampson read the final words “love‚ your baby” aloud‚ Weitz closed her eyes and took a breath.

The case continues on Tuesday.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE