Paul Prinsloo (63), who shot and killed his wife and stepdaughter in Kosmos, Hartbeespoort, in 2023, was sentenced to an effective 25 years in prison in the Pretoria High Court yesterday.

Kormorant reports that Prinsloo was found guilty of the premeditated murder of his wife, Magdaleen Prinsloo (58), and his stepdaughter, Ruzanne Weideman (31), after he shot them with a hunting rifle at their home on November 27, 2023.

Judge Mashudu Munzhelele found him guilty last week and said during sentencing yesterday that substantial and compelling circumstances justified a departure from the minimum sentence. Prinsloo was sentenced to 20 years for each murder, with 15 years of one term running concurrently with the other 20 years.

Prinsloo shot the two women after an argument at their home. Family friend Nico Pienaar, who witnessed the incident, testified that an argument broke out before Prinsloo told him he was going to kill three people that day. Prinsloo then went into the house, returned with a hunting rifle, and shot Ruzanne before killing his wife in front of Ruzanne’s six-year-old daughter.

Following yesterday’s sentencing, Magdaleen’s sisters, Carlien Kleyn and Nici Hanly, said justice had prevailed.

“We are satisfied with the sentence. For the first time in his life, he will have to take responsibility for his actions. Today he was removed from society and will pay for his reckless and heinous crimes. It has been an exhausting and heart-breaking 16 months since Magdaleen and Ruzanne’s murders. We will celebrate their lives and make it our mission to support other victims of obsessive jealousy and narcissism to try and prevent tragedies like this one,” Kleyn said.

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