'Demon possessed' axe murdering teen's case to be heard in camera

27 January 2015 - 15:27 By Sapa
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Image: Jeremy Glyn/Sunday World

Negative internet comments about a teenager who hacked four of his relatives to death with an axe resulted in the trial continuing behind closed doors in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Lana Augustyn, for the 16-year-old boy, told the court she was "quite shocked" by online comments about the case.

"It is not in the interest of this child that he should be tried so publicly," she said.

The State and defence applied for proceedings to be held in camera following the publicity the trial has attracted.

Judge Hennie de Vos ordered that the teenager's trial continue behind closed doors and that no information regarding the case may be published.

A social worker testified on Tuesday.

The teenager, who was 14 at the time of the murders on May 23, 2013, pleaded guilty to four charges of murder.

In August last year he admitted attacking his mother, 42, grandmother, 58, five-year-old brother, and four-month-old baby sister at their home in Etwatwa, on the East Rand, with an axe.

He said in a statement he and a friend had performed a Satanic ritual a few days before the murders and smoked dagga on the day of the killings.

He attacked his family members with an axe after hearing a voice in his head calling out "kill them, kill them". He said he felt possessed by a demon and had "huge anger" at the time.

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