Johannesburg - The South Gauteng High Court has handed former Bank of Athens treasurer Vincenzo Pietropaolo two life sentences for murdering his wife and father four years ago.
He was convicted last November in the same court.
He was also handed an additional fifteen years for being in possession of unlicensed firearms, a further five years for being in possession of ammunition without a gun licence, three years for firing an unlicensed firearm and another three years for defeating the ends of justice.
The sentences will run concurrently, TV news broadcaster eNCA reported.
NPA spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, said Pietropaolo killed his father, Pasqualino, whom he shot in his sleep in March 2017 in what was initially believed to be a failed house robbery.
In November the same year, Pietropaolo killed his estranged wife, Manuela Giuliana Pietropaolo, by shooting her nine times.
He was arrested on the night of the murder following a successful chase by the Brackenhurst Community Policing Forum (CPF). The CPF responded to gunshots and were given the description of the suspected car. They gave chase and traced the accused to the complex where he stayed.
He used his father's firearm to kill is wife and police ballistic reports confirmed this.
In June 2018, the Saturday Star reported that Pietropaolo had tried to commit suicide after a foiled prison escape attempt.
The judge remarked that despite Pietropaolo’s age, the court considers the horrendous manner by which both victims were killed and the fact that the accused had shown no remorse for his actions, to impose a sentence of life imprisonment.
It was understood the suicide attempt by drug overdose had taken place soon after the police’s crime intelligence unit discovered the banker had allegedly paid a contact R100 000 to secure a fake passport and plane tickets out of the country.
IOL