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Camps Bay murder accused Diego Novella to appear in court for judgment

The Guatemalan man accused of murdering his US girlfriend is expected to learn his fate as Western Cape High Court Judge Vincent Saldanha prepares to hand down judgment on Thursday.

Diego Novella allegedly killed Gabriela Kabrins Alban at an upmarket hotel in Camps Bay on July 29, 2015.

Novella had previously testified that he had defecated on Kabrins Alban's corpse, which he perceived to be a demonic entity at the time.

READ: Camps Bay murder accused Novella declared suicide risk

Novella, who was heavily intoxicated, then proceeded to place a piece of paper on her body that read "cerote", which means "piece of shit" in Spanish.

Throughout the duration of the trial, Novella displayed troubling behaviour and he was declared a suicide risk after he had a panic attack.

Novella's lawyer, William Booth, previously told News24 that he had told the court he was concerned about his client's emotional and mental well-being after startling statements.

He was then examined by a psychiatrist and a district surgeon but was later declared capable of understanding the proceedings.

His medication dosage was increased and he was placed on suicide watch.

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