Novella still at Valkeburg

Guatemalan murder accused Diego Novella was unable to attend a scheduled court date as he is still undergoing psychiatric evaluation.

Cape Town – Guatemalan murder accused Diego Novella was not present at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court Thursday as he is currently being psychiatrically assessed at Valkenberg hospital.

The case resumed, however, and the State told the court it would complete its investigation by the first week in March.

Novella was arrested in July last year after allegedly murdering his American girlfriend, 39-year-old Gabriella Alban, at the Camps Bay boutique hotel where they were holidaying.

On Thursday, defence lawyer, William Booth, requested all the reports the State had so far. These include the completed witness statements and post mortem report, but the forensic investigation was not yet complete.

The case was postponed to February 5, and the court must now wait for the assessment of Novella’s mental health.

African News Agency

* Use IOL’s Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.