Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - An online property for sale advertisement turned deadly after attracting the attention of a Pretoria man in South Africa who wanted to steal the valuables.
Raymond Steven Jan-Erick Smith, 37, contacted the estate
agent and visited the house twice in January 2025 to ascertain the lay of the
land. On his third visit, he acted but botched the theft. Instead, he assaulted
the elderly owners before murdering their son and daughter-in-law.
Smith, of Proclamation Hill, pleaded guilty and was this
week sentenced to two life terms for two counts of murder, three years’
imprisonment for attempted murder and eight years’ imprisonment for attempted
robbery with aggravating circumstances. The court ordered the sentences run
concurrently with life imprisonment.
The country’s National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson
Lumka Mahanjana detailed the sequence of events.
Smith saw a house valued at R2.7m advertised for sale online
on behalf of owners Gerald Cantello, 74, and Lilian Janson, 71. The advert
included images showing television sets and electronic devices, which attracted
Smith’s attention.
He contacted the estate agent under the pretence of being a
potential buyer and visited the property on January 16 2025 and again on
January 20. On his third visit, January 27, he arrived at the home at about
6pm.
“When Mr Cantello opened the door, Smith assaulted him,
forced him into the toilet and tied his hands with a cable tie. Mrs Janson, on
hearing the commotion, came to investigate. Smith overpowered her, tied her up,
and forced a rubber ball into both their mouths.
“The couple’s son, Grant James Cantello, 47, and his wife,
Heidi Cantello, 47, who lived on the same premises, heard the screams and
rushed into the house. Smith attacked them with a knife and fatally stabbed
them. A 16-year-old boy, the son of the deceased couple, also tried to
intervene but was stabbed. He managed to escape, locked himself in his bedroom
and called for help.”
Mahanjana said Smith fled but was arrested the next day,
January 28, at his residence while attempting to wash his bloodstained clothes.
In the victim impact statement, the court heard Cantello senior spent three
weeks in hospital and remains immobile due to his injuries.
The 16-year-old survivor was suffering from severe trauma
and had a slump in academic performance.
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