Pretoria man Raymond Steven Jan-Erick Smith (37) has been found guilty of a violent crime spree in which he tied up an elderly couple and fatally stabbed their son and daughter-in-law during a house viewing turned deadly.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, Smith saw a house that belonged to an elderly couple, Gerald Cantello (74) and Lilian Janson (71) being advertised for sale on the internet.

“After he saw pictures of the house on the internet and noticed that it had a lot of television sets and electronic devices.

“He phoned the agent to make an appointment to see the house, not with the intention of buying, but to see what was in the house.

“The first visit he made to the house was on January 16, 2025, to view the house. He made another visit on January 20, 2025.”

Mahanjana said on Smith’s third visit on January 27, 2025, at about 18h00, he went back to the house with the intention of robbing the elderly couple of their belongings.

“On his arrival the 74-year-old man opened for him, and they walked around the house, when they were in the passage next to the toilet, Smith pushed the man inside the toilet and tied his hands with a cable tie.”

His wife who heard the commotion came to check what was happening. When Smith saw her, he pushed her inside the toilet, tied her up and tied a rubber ball inside both their mouths.

“Their son Grant James Cantello and his wife Heidi Cantello, who stayed on the same premises, heard the screams and went inside the house when they met with Smith, he stabbed them with a knife.”

Mahanjana furthermore said the man and woman both died on the scene.

“When the 16-year-old victim, who is the son of the deceased couple, heard the scream of his mother, he went to try and rescue his mother and was also stabbed by Smith. The boy then ran and locked himself inside his bedroom and called for help.”

She said after committing all these offences, Smith fled the scene and was arrested by police the following day at his place of residence, on 28 January 28 2025 while washing his stained clothes.

The matter was postponed to August 27 2025 for sentencing proceedings.

Also read: Serial killer fear grips Pretoria as fifth woman’s body found

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