CERES – The suspect (14) accused of the rape and murder of Desney Struis (6) from the farm Visgat near Ceres in the Western Cape will be back in court on 13 August.
Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape, confirmed the suspect is charged with rape and murder.
Desney’s body was discovered on 7 July after she was reported missing. Her alleged attacker made his first court appearance on 16 July.
Western Cape police confirmed that Prins Alfred Hamlet police had opened a murder case but could not reveal further details “due to the sensitive nature of this incident”.
Nova News contacted Desney’s mother Jolene and the school she attended. By the time of publication, no response had been received from Jolene. The school’s principal was unavailable on Friday and asked that Nova News call back on Monday.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, Jolene expressed that she will never forget Desney and described her daughter as the sunshine in her life and her best friend. She said life will never be the same without her.
