A South African man has been found guilty of killing his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend in a case that shocked the country last year. The High Court in Johannesburg concluded that Sandile Mantsoe stabbed Karabo Mokoena, and tried to conceal the crime by burning her remains. Her killing sparked outrage with women using the hashtag #MenAreTrash. South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of rape and murder of women.

Why did Sandile Mantsoe kill Karabo Mokoena?

Police said the accused had confessed to the murder as part of a ritual that would allow his business to prosper. The family of the woman who was killed by Mantsoe has welcomed the guilty verdict, but has questioned his mental state because he showed no remorse during the trial, the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko reports.

Speaking to reporters inside the courtroom, Mantsoe maintained his innocence saying the only thing he was guilty of was “trying to be a positive influence in her life”. South Africans are discussing the verdict on social media with the names of the victim and the killer the top trends on Twitter.

What happened to Karabo’s killer?

The lead investigator in the Mokoena case – Captain Malefetsane Radebe – said he did not believe Mantsoe was a psychopath. But he was adamant that “something is very wrong” with the young man. Mantsoe was sentenced to 32 years behind bars for Karabo’s murder.

“Even with the sentence‚ it was like nothing had happened. The court’s verdict didn’t mean anything to him. It was like business as usual‚” Radebe said.

“I’m failing to get the correct word to describe him … maybe the judge interpreted his persona as a disguised devil.”