Stella Murders': Double murder of teen friends a must-watch doccie Devilsdorp' director David Enright delves into the chilling Stella High School deaths in the true-crime documentary Stella Murders'.
by Cornelia Le Roux
27-02-2023 11:00
in Entertainment
Stella Murders' revisits the chilling murders of Sharnelle Hough (left) and her roommate Marna Engelbrecht at the hands of Sharnelle's ex-boyfriend Xander Bylsma in 2018. Images via Instagram
Showmax has released the first trailer for Stella Murders, a new true-crime documentary from David Enright and IdeaCandy, the director and production company respectively behind the breakout hit Devilsdorp, one of Showmax's 10 most streamed titles of 2021, which sold internationally and won the 2022 SAFTA for Best Made for TV Documentary.
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Premiering on 17 March, Stella Murders investigates the deaths of best friends Sharnelle Hough,17, and Marna Engelbrecht, 16, at their hostel at Stella High School, in North West.
ALSO READ: Devilsdorp' breaks Showmax records and launches companion podcast
Stella Murders': Horror hostel discovery On Saturday morning 26 May 2018, Sharnelle was found hanging from a rope tied to a guardrail on the stairs of her room and Marna was discovered in a bathroom with the strap of a backpack tied tightly around her neck.. Both deaths were initially believed to be suicide.
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Best friends Sharnelle Hough and Marna Engelbrecht's deaths sent a shockwave through Stella High School in 2018. The true-crime documentary Stella Murders' premieres on Showmax on 17 March. Image: Supplied/ Showmax Fatal attraction: Ex-boyfriend guilty of two counts of murder Sharnelle's ex-boyfriend Xander Bylsma, 19, later confessed that he strangled the girls and tried to make their deaths look like suicide.
In August 2020, News24 reported that Bylsma was found guilty on two counts of murder and given two life sentences in the North West High Court in Mahikeng.
Bylsma was filmed speaking to his parents, moments after the judgment was delivered in February 2020. Take a look.
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19 year old Xander Bylsma has been found guilty by the NW High court, for the murder of two Stella high school girls in May 2018 #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/OI63piD1GV
Bafedile Moerane (@moeraneb14) February 17, 2020
ALSO READ: Xander Bylsma: What we know so far about the Stella High School murder suspect
True crime: Stella Murders' tells heart-wrenching' story Stella Murders is a heart-wrenching story, Showmax and Connected Video at MultiChoice CEO Yolisa Phahle said.
It deals with every parent's worst fear. The production was made with cooperation from Sharnelle and Marna's families, who hope their story will prevent similar tragedies.
The 90-minute Showmax Original features interviews with Ronnie and Sonja Hough, Sharnelle's parents; Stefaans, Rianet, and Rian Engelbrecht, Marna's father, mother and sister; Captain Zagaries Human, the Stella South African Police Services station commander Captain Markus Ferreira, the investigating officer; private investigator Chris Saunders; and Advocate Johan Smit, the state prosecutor, now retired.
Also look out for Marizka Coetzer from Devilsdorp, who covered the Stella Murders case for Huisgenoot.
WATCH: First-look trailer of Stella Murders'
Danger doesn't come exclusively from the outside' Home to just over 4 000 people, Stella is a small, quiet cattle-farming dorpie near Vryburg, in North West.
In such a close-knit community, danger is expected to come from the outside, says clinical psychologist Elmarie Claassens in the documentary. But the thing about danger is: It doesn't come exclusively from the outside.
The documentary makes it clear that the town is still processing the deaths.
While working on Stella Murders, it became important for us to understand if there was any form of emotional healing for the families and community that experienced this trauma, explained Enright.
ALSO READ: Girl, Taken': Riveting doccie relives Zephany Nurse heartbreak
Spotlight on culture of gender-based violence The death of the teen girls has again shone a spotlight on commonplace femicide in the country, with weekly reports of women being killed by a husband or boyfriend.
It became clear that the impact of this tragic event was far-reaching and calls for important reflection on the culture that cultivates gender-based violence, Enright said.
Hopefully this documentary will not only highlight some of the red flags to look out for, but will also become part of the nationwide conversation about the shameful levels of violence against women in South Africa.
David Enright And the shock statistics tell a deeply disturbing tale of our society: Between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, there was a 52% increase in the murder of women, and 46% increase in the number of children murdered.
ALSO READ: #TogetherForHer: Charlize Theron's rallying cry against lockdown GBV
UCT Online High School Creates The ConnectED' Mobile App for Parents. READ MORE HERE!
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Stella Murders': Double murder of teen friends a must-watch doccie Devilsdorp' director David Enright delves into the chilling Stella High School deaths in the true-crime documentary Stella Murders'. 
