Pretoria – The Pretoria High Court has sentenced 37-year-old Raymond Steven Jan-Erick Smith to two life terms for two counts of murder, three years in prison for attempted murder, and eight years for attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently with life imprisonment.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Gauteng Spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the accused from Proclamation Hill was further declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Mahanjana said earlier this year, on 23 July 2025, the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) secured a preservation order against Smith’s 2011 model Nissan X-Trail, valued at R65 000, which had been used in the commission of the crimes.
Evidence led in court showed that Smith targeted the home of an elderly couple, 74-year-old Gerald Cantello and 71-year-old Lilian Janson.
The accused had seen the house, valued at R2.7 million, advertised for sale online.
The advert included images of televisions and electronic devices, which the court heard attracted Smith’s attention.
The accused contacted the estate agent under the pretence of being a potential buyer.
Smith visited the property on 16 January 2025. Four days later, Smith was back a the house owned by the elderly couple.
On his third visit, 27 January 2025, Smith arrived around 18:00.
The court heard that when Cantello opened the door, Smith assaulted him, forced him into the toilet, tied his hands with a cable tie, and forced a rubber ball into his mouth to keep him quiet.
However, upon hearing the commotion, Janson came to investigate.
She encountered Smith, who overpowered her, tied her up, and also forced a rubber ball into her mouth.
The couple’s son, 47-year-old Grant James Cantello, and his 47-year-old wife, Heidi Cantello, who live in another part of the same premises, heard the screams and rushed into the house.
Smith attacked them with a knife, fatally stabbing both on the scene.
A 16-year-old boy, the son of the deceased couple, also tried to intervene but was stabbed.
The brave teenager managed to escape the savage attack and locked himself in his bedroom, from where he called for help.
Smith fled the bloody scene.
He was arrested the following day, 28 January 2025, at his residence while attempting to wash his bloodstained clothes.
In court, Smith pleaded guilty and requested a lenient sentence, asking the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences.
However, Advocate Lawrance More, for the State, successfully argued for life imprisonment.
Advocate More emphasised that the murders were premeditated and planned over 11 days.
To make matters worse, the victims were killed in their own home, where they were supposed to be safe.
The prosecutor told the court that Smith had multiple opportunities to desist from the brutal attacks but persisted.
The court also considered Victim Impact Statements (VIS) facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Lebogang Lebese.
The 16-year-old survivor revealed the severe trauma he suffered, including having to change schools, which negatively affected his academic performance.
Cantello, who survived, spent three weeks in the hospital and remains immobile due to his injuries.
The judge found no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify a lesser sentence and ruled that the prescribed minimum sentences were appropriate.
Commenting on the sentences meted out to Smith, the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Marika Jansen Van Vuuren, praised the work of Advocate More and Investigating Officer Constable Ronald Ravele from Lyttleton Police Station.
She commended their dedication, which ensured the conviction and sentencing of a man who senselessly killed innocent people out of greed.
