Cape Town – The man who raped and killed Franziska Blöchliger will hear his fate on Wednesday at the Western Cape High Court.
Judge Kate Savage is expected to hand down a sentence to convicted killer Howard Oliver, who admitted he had raped and killed the teenager.
Oliver was found guilty on four counts.
He initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and two counts of rape and only pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated robbery.
After his lawyer, advocate Ken Klopper, withdrew himself from the matter due to ethical reasons, Oliver changed his plea.
After consultation with his newly appointed Legal Aid SA lawyer, advocate Henk Carstens, he changed his mind and pleaded guilty to all four charges.
The 16-year-old’s body was found naked lying face down in the fynbos at the Tokai forest last year after she went missing while jogging.
She had been raped and murdered. Forensics said she had died due to strangulation and suffocation. Sand was found in her lungs and airways.
In her judgment Judge Savage said the girl’s death was “shocking, unprovoked and senseless”.
“The death of the deceased was his goal. She was naked and her legs were described to be in a frog position and her face stuck in the sand."
“He planned his attack, his conduct can be described as a wolf attacking a lamb.”
In aggravation of sentence, State prosecutor Lenro Badenhorst said Oliver had 10 previous convictions including assault, robbery and drug possession.
Daily Voice