Widow of slain doctor prays for killer's soul

29 May 2015 - 02:28 By Philani Nombembe

The widow of a Stellenbosch paediatrician prays every day for her husband's killer. Dalene Heyns held out an olive branch to Marthinus van der Walt, 35, shortly after he was handed a life sentence in the Cape Town High Court yesterday for murdering Louis Heyns.Heyns's body was found in a shallow grave in Strand in May 2013.Van der Walt and his brother, Sarel, were arrested for the murder.Sarel van der Walt entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state. Marthinus van der Walt was on Tuesday convicted of Heyns's murder."The completely violent, unfeeling and inhumane way my husband was killed has had an indescribable effect on our family and on everybody who knew my husband well," Dalene Heyns said."To the person who killed my husband: I forgave you a long time ago and hold no grudge against you. I pray for your soul to be saved."Van der Walt claimed he was high on drugs and alcohol when he committed the murder. Heyns died from blunt trauma to the head, chest and abdomen, and strangulation.Handing down sentence yesterday, Judge Andre le Grange said Van der Walt was a danger to society with no prospects for rehabilitation.Van der Walt was first convicted at the age of 17, for housebreaking. He was released from prison four months before Heyns's killing, after serving five years for car theft...

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