Road rage man convicted of manslaughter

An elderly Johannesburg diamond cutter who shot dead a man in a 2009 road rage attack has been found guilty of manslaughter, according to a report on Friday.

Magistrate George Andrews convicted Roy Wilson, 67, in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court, Johannesburg on Thursday, Beeld newspaper reported.

Wilson shot dead Migel Balanco, 36, during an altercation in Linden, north of Johannesburg, after Balanco punched him in the face.

Balanco scratched Wilson’s car and bumped his rear-view mirror while overtaking him on the night of March 22, 2009.

Wilson pursued Balanco, and the two became involved in a scuffle. Wilson, in self-defence, pulled out his firearm, intended aiming for Balanco’s legs, and fired.

The court heard Wilson did not intend to kill Balanco. He however admitted having crossed the boundaries of self-defence and apologised to Balanco’s family.

 “There is no evidence that the accused intended to deliberately kill the deceased. The accused overreacted. He could have fired a warning shot, or warned the deceased that he had a weapon,” said Andrews.

Sentencing is expected to take place in March.

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