The Pretoria high court, sitting in Palm Ridge, on Tuesday sentenced Bongani Patrick Tau, 24, and Andile Mpangeva, 23, to 25 years’ imprisonment each for the 2019 murder of Vereeniging lawyer Eric Hillary Lyell.
In April this year, judge Tonny Thobane convicted them of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlawful firearm, possession of unlawful ammunition and defeating the ends of justice.
“At the time of the incident, Tau was employed by the deceased as a general worker and stayed with him at his home in Three Rivers, Vereeniging, where Mpangeva, who was friends with Tau, used to visit,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said.
She said on January 11 2019, the two accused assaulted and killed the lawyer.
“After this, they took his vehicle, cellphone, wristwatch and his firearm with ammunition. They covered the body with a plastic bag, and drove to the Vaal Dam where they dumped it and fled to the Eastern Cape.”
The deceased was reported missing by his family after they could not reach him on the phone.
Investigations led to the two being arrested in the Eastern Cape, on separate dates during the same month.
The two have been in custody since.
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Two men who killed lawyer, dumped his body at Vaal Dam get 25 years each
Image: 123RF/Lukas Gojda
The Pretoria high court, sitting in Palm Ridge, on Tuesday sentenced Bongani Patrick Tau, 24, and Andile Mpangeva, 23, to 25 years’ imprisonment each for the 2019 murder of Vereeniging lawyer Eric Hillary Lyell.
In April this year, judge Tonny Thobane convicted them of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of an unlawful firearm, possession of unlawful ammunition and defeating the ends of justice.
“At the time of the incident, Tau was employed by the deceased as a general worker and stayed with him at his home in Three Rivers, Vereeniging, where Mpangeva, who was friends with Tau, used to visit,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said.
She said on January 11 2019, the two accused assaulted and killed the lawyer.
“After this, they took his vehicle, cellphone, wristwatch and his firearm with ammunition. They covered the body with a plastic bag, and drove to the Vaal Dam where they dumped it and fled to the Eastern Cape.”
The deceased was reported missing by his family after they could not reach him on the phone.
Investigations led to the two being arrested in the Eastern Cape, on separate dates during the same month.
The two have been in custody since.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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