Life sentence sought for George man who killed girlfriend while on parole for wife's murder

THE State has asked the court to impose a life sentence on a George man for the murder of his girlfriend, just months after he was released on parole for his wife's murder.

NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the Western Cape High Court, sitting at the Eastern Circuit Local Division in George, will sentence Johan Miana following his plea of guilty for the murder of his girlfriend, Maria Karen Ambraal.

Senior State Advocate John Reyneveld told the court that the accused was convicted for the murder of his wife and was sentenced to 17 years' direct imprisonment. He had served 10 years in jail when he was released on parole and met the 23-year-old deceased in July 2024. 

They started a relationship, and she moved in with him. 

Reyneveld submitted that the minimum sentence of life imprisonment is applicable as the couple was in a romantic relationship at the time, as if married and in terms of the Domestic Violence Act, amounts to a domestic relationship.

“In his guilty plea statement, the accused states that he met and started a romantic relationship with the deceased. She moved in with him at Eagle Falls Farm, Kammanasie, Uniondale. On November 8, 2024, he planned to visit his friend Johannes Vaaltyn who worked and stayed at Meyer Le Roux Farm. He decided to invite the deceased to join him, and they walked the 7km distance to visit his friend and his wife to socialise. They arrived around 7pm, drank, and later that evening went to visit other friends on the same farm. They drank more and he also smoked dagga. They left Eagle Falls Farm after midnight,” Ntabazalila said. 

“An argument started as they walked back home but he could not recall the exact details of the argument. He claims he became so angry that he lost control and started to hit the deceased multiple times with clenched fists on her face and abdomen. She attempted to fight back but fell to the ground and attempted to crawl away from him. He took out his work knife, which he always carried with him, and started stabbing her multiple times all over her body.”

When the knife fell, Mian grabbed a stone that was lying close to them and hit her multiple times  over the head. She became still, and Mian panicked, left her there and approached his employer and asked him to call the ambulance services and the police. He admitted that though he was under the influence of alcohol and dagga, he knew exactly what he was doing, since he consumed alcohol and smoked dagga regularly.

Mian said he regretted that he committed the offence and requested the court to have mercy on him when passing sentence.

“Ryneveld argued that the accused hit the helpless deceased with clenched fists several times, stabbed her with a knife several times and then he hit her with a stone over her head several times until she stopped breathing. In 2014, he killed his wife by stabbing her. 

“Adv Ryneveld also led the evidence of the accused’s previous conviction to prove that he was out on parole at the time of the brutal murder. He committed the murder less than seven months after his release. There were no substantial and compelling circumstances for the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment,” Ntabazalila said.