'He is playing cat and mouse': Alleged serial killer rejects plea and sentence deal

The family members of the three women who were allegedly killed at the hands of Wellington man Johan Williams will have to wait until next year before the trial begins. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency

The family members of the three women who were allegedly killed at the hands of Wellington man Johan Williams will have to wait until next year before the trial begins. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency

Published Jun 3, 2022

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Cape Town - The family members of the three women who were allegedly killed at the hands of Wellington man Johan Williams will have to wait until next year before the trial begins after he rejected the plea and sentence agreement.

Williams faces charges for the rape, kidnapping and murder of three women – Maria Isaacs, Natalie Jonkers and Chantell Matthyssen – whose bodies were found on the same farm in Wellington in July 2018.

Williams has made several appearances in the Western Cape High Court over the past few weeks, consulting with his lawyer, advocate Nawaal Abdurahman, who engaged in a constant back and forth with the State on the finalisation of the agreement.

However, on Thursday was the last straw as his lawyer withdrew from the matter due to conflicting instructions from Williams. The State prosecutor said Williams had a discrepancy with the sentence agreement which the State refused to budge on.

When the prosecutor informed family members outside court that the trial will only commence next year, Carol Petersen, Matthyssen’s mother broke down in tears.

Petersen said: “Deep down I am happy because I have always wanted justice for my daughter but I went with the plea so that we can go on with our lives.

“My heart is just broken that we are only coming back next year. He is playing cat and mouse and he gets too much say. I was really hoping he would do the right thing,” she said.

Fortuin Isaacs, the brother of Maria said: “He had an opportunity to accept the plea and I wasn’t satisfied with the sentence but we know how the law works. In some way or another, he is forcing his way to delay proceedings.

“He is wasting everybody’s time. If he wants to go to trial, we will go to trial. It’s not ideal that we have to listen to everything that he did to the victims all over again but it’s so justice can be done.

“Since 2018, we’ve been in and out of court and there seems to be no progress - it’s as if he has the ball in his court. He pretends to be innocent but he has clear motives, he is extremely sly,” he said.

The trial date has now been moved to February 13, 2023.