College Classmate Convicted of Brutal Murder

A former college classmate of the author was convicted of a brutal murder in South Africa. The crime, which involved torture, traumatized the author and left them feeling unsafe in their once cozy university town. The murderer was sentenced to life in prison, but the author still struggles with the fact that they sat beside a murderer and wonders how close they were to becoming a victim. The murder also had a long-lasting impact on the families involved and the town as a whole.