One person noticeably absent at the trial and subsequent conviction of teenager Lee Adams’s killer was his mother.

When Aljar Swartz was convicted of premeditated murder on Monday, other relatives of the 15-year-old Adams showed their support by dressing in purple.

It was the beheaded teenager’s favourite colour.

Adams’ aunt, Letitia van Schalkwyk, explained the whole experience was too painful for mother Gaynor Adams.

“She can’t face him. Even if he gets 500 years in jail, it won’t bring her child back,” she said outside the Western Cape High Court.

“She breaks down every time we have a family meeting.”

They planned to visit her Elsies River home later on Monday to tell her about the outcome. The family said it was satisfied with the court’s finding.

Swartz was found guilty on Monday of premeditated murder and three counts of incitement to commit murder.

Last month, he admitted to killing Adams so he could sell his body parts to a sangoma. He admitted to strangling the teenager at an abandoned school on October 17, 2013. He repeatedly stabbed him until he died.

A security guard found the boy’s body at the abandoned school in Ravensmead. The head was later found in a shallow grave in the accused’s yard.

Ravensmead community leader David van Wyk also attended proceedings and thanked all those involved for “a job well done”.

“Other youngsters can now see the court is not playing around with anyone.”