DURBAN — A South African court sentenced three individuals to life in prison on Thursday for the kidnapping, robbery, and murder of British botanists Rachel and Rodney Saunders, which occurred in February 2018. Saffydeen Aslam del Vecchio, 46, Fatima Patel, 35, and Ahmad Mussa each received two life terms from the KwaZulu-Natal division of the Durban High Court.

The court convicted the trio of the murders last month. The Saunders, aged 64 and 73 respectively, were kidnapped on February 10, 2018, in the Ngoye Forest, located 150 kilometers north of Durban. The couple, who held dual South African and British citizenship, were collecting indigenous plants and seeds at the time.

The bodies of Rachel and Rodney Saunders were discovered in a river days after their abduction. Rodney Saunders' body was found by fishermen in the Tugela River and identified weeks later, in March 2018. Rachel Saunders' body was identified on June 13, 2018.

The three individuals were found guilty of stealing the couple's belongings, including bank cards that were subsequently used for purchases near Durban, according to the South African Police Service. Approximately 734,000 rand was drained from the couple's bank accounts. For robbery with aggravating circumstances, del Vecchio, Patel, and Mussa each received a 15-year prison sentence. They were also each sentenced to four years' imprisonment for theft.

The couple's car was found with blood marks shortly after their disappearance. The National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa stated that the couple was traveling in KwaZulu-Natal province with research equipment and camping gear when they were taken. Del Vecchio and Patel were arrested on February 15, 2018. Authorities found items belonging to the deceased when they searched the property of del Vecchio and Patel. Mussa was arrested three weeks later.

The sentences for all three individuals will run concurrently. Del Vecchio also received a five-year sentence for an unrelated case of malicious damage to property. Patel and her brother were arrested in 2016 during an anti-terrorism raid near Johannesburg, though they were not charged following that arrest. Del Vecchio and Patel were alleged to have hoisted a flag of the Islamic State group in the reserve where the couple disappeared in 2018.