The trial of a Spanish dentist accused of murdering his three-year-old twins in Cape Town was postponed on Monday for plea discussions.
Mario-Caesar Yela‚ 49‚ appeared briefly in the Cape Town High Court where his trial was due to start‚ but it was postponed for seven days.
His lawyer William Booth said the delay was for "discussions with the state". The prosecution is expecting to receive a letter with Yela's plea and sentencing agreement for their consideration.
Yela is accused of murdering the children‚ Octavia and Maximo‚ on April 6 2017‚ while visiting them in South Africa.
He allegedly murdered them in an apartment that he was renting in Hout Bay. Their mother‚ his ex-wife Julia Engelhorn‚ found the children the next day.
Yela was involved in a car accident on the day of the alleged murders‚ after having dismissed his child minder.
During his bail hearing‚ Booth told the court that he had to "determine whether at the time of the incident Yela was in a mental state such that he could distinguish between right and wrong".
The case continues.
