The nephew of slain magistrate Romay van Rooyen will have his trial heard in the Western Cape High Court. Cassidy Hartzenberg, 18, was arrested last September for the murder of his aunt, Magistrate Romay van Rooyen. He abandoned bail in October 2022.
Also read: Magistrate Van Rooyen’s nephew will not be getting bail
According to IOL, 18-year-old Cassidy Hartzenberg from Mitchells Plain appeared in Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. The indictment and summary of facts were presented to the court during the proceedings.
His case is expected to be heard in the Western Cape High Court next month for pre-trial proceedings, and he faces murder and theft charges.
Van Rooyen, 50, was found murdered in her home on Red Roman Street in Marina Da Gama. Her car, a Toyota RAV4, had been stolen and was discovered two days later in Mitchells Plain.
Van Rooyen began her prosecutorial career in 1997, prosecuting in district and regional courts before becoming a state advocate in the Western Cape High Court. She was appointed as an acting magistrate in 2016 and presided over various magistrate courts throughout the Western Cape. She was permanently appointed as an additional magistrate for the Vredenburg Magistrate’s Court on 1 October 2021.
On the day of the murder, Hartzenberg allegedly borrowed money and hired someone to drive him to his aunt’s house. According to the evidence so far, Hartzenberg was killed after an altercation with Van Rooyen.
The cause of death was strangulation by an unknown method, according to the state.
Hartzenberg was arrested after attending his aunt’s funeral as a pallbearer.
He is scheduled to appear in the Western Cape High Court for pre-trial proceedings on 17 March 2022.
Also read:
Nephew of magistrate, Romay Van Rooyen arrested in connection with her murder
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