He and Alban stayed in the Camps Bay Retreat boutique hotel during a visit to South Africa‚ and although he pleaded not guilty to murder he testified that he killed Alban‚ perceiving her at the time to be a demonic entity.
He claimed his mind was “hijacked” and that after he had a physical altercation with the demon he went to the beach and waded into the sea. He said that he thought everyone in the beach was looking at him and that at one point he looked at the sun and claimed that it looked black and was pulsating.
He claims that it was then that he knew something terrible had happened‚ something violent.
The forensic report described the scene where Alban's body was found as being carefully orchestrated‚ with chips and sweets covering her body. Chocolates were stuffed into her battered mouth. A hair-dryer was placed between her thighs. A shirt bearing the word "Ubuntu" was placed neatly on her chest.
Novella also defecated on Alban’s head and feet and wrote the Spanish word “sorote”‚ meaning “piece of shit”‚ on a piece of paper which he placed on her forehead.
He said that he was in a state of psychopathy as a result of his intoxication. The state‚ however‚ argued that he acted out of anger after Alban called him an “idiot” and a “faggot”.