Teen accused in Deveney Nel murder case deemed fit for trial
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that the accused underwent a psychiatric evaluation in January and would be tried as a minor.
A group of supporters stood outside the Caledon Magistrates Court holding placards with messages of support for the family of murdered Deveney Nel on 18 September 2024. Picture: Ntuthuzelo Nene/Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - The teen murder accused in the Deveney Nel murder case has been deemed fit to stand trial.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that the accused underwent a psychiatric evaluation in January and would be tried as a minor.
He was under the age of 18 when he allegedly attacked the 16-year-old girl with a knife on school grounds last year.
The 17-year-old accused allegedly stabbed Deveney Nel multiple times before hiding her body in a storeroom at Overberg High School.
Her body was found in August last year.
The court ruled that the identity of the alleged perpetrator cannot be revealed because he was a minor at the time of the alleged crime.
The motive behind the attack is still unknown.
The case has been postponed in the Caledon Magistrates Court to 24 April.