Team asks for delay in Maspero trial

Kyle Maspero. Picture: Tracey Adams

Kyle Maspero. Picture: Tracey Adams

Published Apr 25, 2015

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Cape Town -

A team of experts at Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital has assessed Kyle Maspero, the teen accused of murdering his girlfriend’s mother, but is not yet ready to present its findings to the Western Cape High Court.

The findings, on the teen’s mental state at the time the crime was committed, will determine whether or not Maspero should be tried for the murder of Clovelly mother Rosemary Theron.

Maspero was admitted to the psychiatric hospital’s forensic section at the end of last month, after the State rejected his version of events when he wanted to plead guilty.

At the time, his attorney, William da Grass, told the court Maspero was unable to recall aspects of the offence because of his protracted use of drugs.

The forensic team at Valkenberg will now have to determine his mental state at the time the murder took place.

In court yesterday, the case was postponed in Maspero’s absence after prosecutor Susan Golloway told Judge Robert Henney that the experts had carried out their observations, but that the information they had gathered needed to be verified.

In addition, Maspero still had to be consulted by doctors, she said.

As a result, Valkenberg requested more time to conclude the process.

The case was postponed to May 22.

Maspero is accused of murdering the mother of his girlfriend, Phoenix Racing Cloud Theron, who is serving an effective 15 years in jail for the killing.

She entered into a plea bargain with the State in which she implicated Maspero.

She blamed her mother for neglecting her, and said she had learnt to steal food because she was hungry, was often taken out of school because her mother could not afford it, and had to take care of her sister.

According to Theron, she and Maspero came up with the plan to murder her mother, a performance artist, after an argument.

Theron pretended to apologise for the fight, and embraced her mother, while Maspero allegedly sneaked up behind her and strangled her with a rope.

She alleged that Maspero buried the body near their Fish Hoek home, then, with the help of Godfrey Scheepers, later moved it to Strandfontein.

Charges against Scheepers were provisionally withdrawn pending Maspero’s mental observation.

Saturday Argus

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