CAPE TOWN – A man who shot dead a biker on the N1 highway during a robbery has been handed a life sentence.
Lucian Ackerman was found guilty of robbing and killing Zelda Van Niekerk, 45, in September 2018. His co-accused, Michael Peterson, was also handed a 20-year sentence for murder and 10 years for robbery.
It was an opportunistic crime. Van Niekerk had pulled over on the N1 highway near Century City to wait for a friend and fellow biker. While waiting, she was attacked by the two men.
Western Cape High Court judge Gayaat Salie-Hlope said the killers were like wolves prowling around for a victim.
She said they took Van Niekerk’s life in a gruesome manner.
Salie-Hlope said the killers had time to reconsider their actions and could have easily just robbed their victim because she was defenceless. She said instead, Ackerman had the direct intention to kill.
Ackerman and Peterson pleaded guilty in November while a third accused, Elton Abrahams, pleaded not guilty. He was expected to go on trial later this month.
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Source: Eyewitness News