Cassidy Hartzenberg, the teenager accused of murdering his aunt, magistrate Romay van Rooyen, has abandoned his bid for bail.

The 18-year-old appeared briefly in the Simon’s Town magistrate's court where he is charged with theft and murder.

Van Rooyen was found strangled on September 11 at her home in Marina da Gama.

There was no sign of forced entry and only her car and cash were taken. Her car was discovered the next day, abandoned in Mitchells Plain. This led her family to believe it wasn’t a simple robbery.

Van Rooyen was a magistrate in Vredenburg but went to Marina da Gama on weekends to visit her family.

Hartzenberg was a pallbearer at her funeral last month and appeared emotional as loved ones spoke fondly of his aunt.

Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said evidence points to him acting alone.

“It's still a very early stage of the investigation. We were going to oppose bail because we believe he knows who the witnesses are and there is a likelihood that he may interfere with or even threaten them,” he said. 

The case was postponed to November 8 for further investigations.

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