Man jailed after k!lling couple while posing as a home buyer

An online property for sale advertisement turned deadly after attracting the attention of a Pretoria man in South Africa who wanted to steal the valuables. Raymond Steven Jan-Erick Smith, 37, contacted the estate agent and visited the house twice in January 2025 to ascertain the lay of the land. On his third visit, he acted but botched the theft. Instead, he assaulted the elderly owners before murdering their son and daughter-in-law.  Smith, of Proclamation Hill, pleaded guilty and was this week sentenced to two life terms for two counts of murder, three years imprisonment for attempted murder and eight years imprisonment for attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances. The court ordered the sentences run concurrently with life imprisonment. The countrys National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana detailed the sequence of events. Smith saw a house valued at R2.7m advertised for sale online on behalf of owners Gerald Cantello, 74, and Lilian Janson, 71. The advert included images showing television sets and electronic devices, which attracted Smiths attention. He contacted the estate agent under the pretence of being a potential buyer and visited the property on January 16 2025 and again on January 20. On his third visit, January 27, he arrived at the home at about 6pm. When Mr Cantello opened the door, Smith assaulted him, forced him into the toilet and tied his hands with a cable tie. Mrs Janson, on hearing the commotion, came to investigate. Smith overpowered her, tied her up, and forced a rubber ball into both their mouths. The couples son, Grant James Cantello, 47, and his wife, Heidi Cantello, 47, who lived on the same premises, heard the screams and rushed into the house. Smith attacked them with a knife and fatally stabbed them. A 16-year-old boy, the son of the deceased couple, also tried to intervene but was stabbed. He managed to escape, locked himself in his bedroom and called for help. Mahanjana said Smith fled but was arrested the next day, January 28, at his residence while attempting to wash his bloodstained clothes. In the victim impact statement, the court heard Cantello senior spent three weeks in hospital and remains immobile due to his injuries. The 16-year-old survivor was suffering from severe trauma and had a slump in academic performance. The post Man jailed after k!lling couple while posing as a home buyer appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.