Hillary Gardee murder case: Fifth suspect released after NPA drops charges

The fifth suspect arrested in connection with the murder of Hillary Gardee has been released from jail, after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) provisionally withdrew charges against him.

Hillary Gardee murder case

The man was meant to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, in Mbombela, but the NPA instructed police to obtain further evidence related to his case.

The suspect, a Nigerian national who’s believed to be in his mid-30s, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with defeating the ends of justice, after he was taken in for questioning on Sunday, 14 August.

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Police had linked him to the murder case through the cellphone and laptop that belonged to Gardee.

Gardee, the daughter of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee, was found on 3 May near a timber plantation outside Mbombela, after she went missing at the Nelspruit Plaza on 29 April.

The 28-year-old was found with stab wounds, boot prints and a gunshot wound.

Charges provisionally withdrawn

Addressing the media outside court on Wednesday, Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the NPA requested that an expert statement be obtained in order to link the man directly to the stolen cellphone and laptop.

“The NPA did not enroll the docket because they advised the police to go and get a statement from an expert. We had to release the suspect provisionally,” he said.

Mohlala confirmed that when the suspect was arrested, he was not found in possession of any of the gadgets that belonged to Gardee.

“The suspect was linked through the cellphone and laptop of the deceased. That means to a certain extent, he was involved in the murder because the cell phone’s number was utilised immediately after the murder of Ms Gardee.

“This means he might be knowledgeable about the incident and he might know where he got those particular gadgets from.”

Mohlala added that police had the man’s details and once they received the expert statement, they would charge him again.

Suspects arrested

Meanwhile, four suspects have been charged in connection with Gardee’s murder earlier this year, in April.

Philemon Lukhele, Albert Gama, Sipho Mkhatshwa are facing several charges including murder, rape and kidnapping related to the murder case.

The fourth suspect, Rassie Nkuna, was arrested last week, in KwaThema (Springs), east of Gauteng.

According to Gauteng police, during his arrest, they found Nkuna in possession of a firearm with its serial number filed off. He was also linked to three other murder cases which happened in Mpumalanga.

The 36-year-old appeared in the Delmas Magistrates’ Court in Mpumalanga on Monday, where he abandoned his bail application. He was later expected to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrates’ Court.

Mkhatshwa was denied bail by the Nelspruit Magistrates’ Court earlier this month, while Lukhele and Gama are expected back in court on Thursday, for their bail hearing.

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