Durban - The family of the murdered Overport student Kurtlee Pillay wept in court after the man accused of being the mastermind behind the murder was acquitted on all charges.
Pillay, a 20-year-old graphic design student, was stabbed more than 20 times and dragged under his car on November 4, 2014.
Blaine Raman was accused of the kidnapping and murder of Pillay in 2014 along with two others, Dinesh Nana and Bilal Tayob. Raman also faced a robbery with aggravating circumstances charge.
In February 2016, Nana and Tayob pleaded guilty to kidnapping, being accessories to murder and robbery.
Raman had initially been arrested with Nana and Tayob and charges were withdrawn against him. The charges were re-instated shortly after Nana and Tayob’s guilty plea and sentence.
Tayob received a suspended sentence and Nana is serving an eight-year sentence.
In handing down judgment on Tuesday, Judge Liz Law said the State's case was not strong enough to prove Raman was guilty. Law said the case against Raman was riddled with discrepancies.
“There were multiple loose threads that if one was pulled, the entire case would fall apart,” Law said.
During Law’s handing down of judgment, Raman stared straight ahead. After judgment was handed down, he got up and spoke to his lawyer, Anand Nepaul, surrounded by his father and sister.
Meanwhile, Pillay’s family hugged and consoled each other.
Raman declined to speak to the media as he left the courtroom.
Pillay’s father said they were disappointed by the outcome. “I just wanted closure and for my son to rest in peace. We are leaving it to God now,” he said