CONVICTED Gelvandale hitman Mario Schondlo was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday.
Schondlo was found guilty in October of the murder of a man killed during a spree of three "targeted attacks" in Port Elizabeth's northern areas during 2007.
In his judgment, Judge Jannie Eksteen said Ebden Slamdill was killed "for nothing but his integrity" after he refused to open a safe in his employer Joseph Jansen's house on September 1 2007.
Schondlo was also sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for armed robbery committed during the same attack. He was also linked to a shooting at a tavern and a house in Gelvandale the day before.
The court heard he had stormed into the tavern and started shooting wildly.
He received several sentences for a variety of other crimes including housebreaking and theft.
The court heard during the lengthy trial that Schondlo was known in the area as a drug abuser and a thief. He has three children with different women and had a difficult upbringing and suffered a personal loss when his sister committed suicide after being raped.
The court also heard that he was beaten severely by members of the community after his arrest.
Judge Eksteen said he acknowledged that Schondlo was behaving well in prison and had been given the responsibility to call out the court lists in the morning. Yet, Schondlo had, to this day, never apologised or showed remorse for his crimes.
In his reasons for sentencing, Eksteen said it was clear to him that Schondlo executed three attacks against specific targets. He said violence in Port Elizabeth's northern areas was rife and called out for a strong response from the city's courts.
The judge described one attack where Schondlo made a woman undress before robbing her as "sadistic".
He added that he was deeply disturbed by the four-year delay in bringing Schondlo's case to court.
'Sadistic' killer Mario Schondlo jailed for life
CONVICTED Gelvandale hitman Mario Schondlo was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday.
Schondlo was found guilty in October of the murder of a man killed during a spree of three "targeted attacks" in Port Elizabeth's northern areas during 2007.
In his judgment, Judge Jannie Eksteen said Ebden Slamdill was killed "for nothing but his integrity" after he refused to open a safe in his employer Joseph Jansen's house on September 1 2007.
Schondlo was also sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for armed robbery committed during the same attack. He was also linked to a shooting at a tavern and a house in Gelvandale the day before.
The court heard he had stormed into the tavern and started shooting wildly.
He received several sentences for a variety of other crimes including housebreaking and theft.
The court heard during the lengthy trial that Schondlo was known in the area as a drug abuser and a thief. He has three children with different women and had a difficult upbringing and suffered a personal loss when his sister committed suicide after being raped.
The court also heard that he was beaten severely by members of the community after his arrest.
Judge Eksteen said he acknowledged that Schondlo was behaving well in prison and had been given the responsibility to call out the court lists in the morning. Yet, Schondlo had, to this day, never apologised or showed remorse for his crimes.
In his reasons for sentencing, Eksteen said it was clear to him that Schondlo executed three attacks against specific targets. He said violence in Port Elizabeth's northern areas was rife and called out for a strong response from the city's courts.
The judge described one attack where Schondlo made a woman undress before robbing her as "sadistic".
He added that he was deeply disturbed by the four-year delay in bringing Schondlo's case to court.
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