A South African man received two life sentences on Friday for his role in the brutal gang rape and murder of 17-year-old Anene Booysen, United Press International reported.
Johannes Kana, 21, was convicted in a Swellendam, South Africa courtroom eight months after Booysen died. She reportedly told authorities that she was attacked by a group of five or six men.
Two other suspects were arrested, but so far only Kana was put on trial. The Times of India also reported that two of the attackers she named before her death were dropped from the case due to a lack of evidence.
Kana admitted to raping the girl but denied responsibility for her death. A doctor who treated her -- after she was found by a security guard at a construction site near Cape Town -- said her injuries, including being disemboweled, were the worst she had ever witnessed.
Prosecutors said her "extensive genital injuries" caused "her intestines to protrude from her genital area and, ultimately, caused her death."
South African President Jacob Zuma vehemently condemned the attack, calling it "shocking, cruel, and most inhumane."
"We must never allow ourselves to get used to these acts of base criminality to our women and children," Zuma said.
The National Prosecuting Society said despite Booysen's unfortunate death, Kana's conviction is a victory for victims everywhere.
"We know this sentence will not bring Anene Booysen back or lessen the pain she went through that morning of February 2 and the pain her family is going through," said the authority's spokesman, Eric Ntabazalila.
"We hope they will find solace knowing that the person who raped and murdered their daughter will spend time in prison and pay for what he did."
An uncle of Kana reportedly laughed at the ruling according to local media reports and called the trial a "joke."
