A mugshot taken of Thabo Bester around the time of his trial. Note that his height is above 1.7m. Source: Used by several newspapers in 2011 without attribution (copied for fair use)
Police said a case of murder has been opened after it emerged that the man dubbed the “Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester may have killed someone during his brazen escape from prison.
Over the weekend, an investigation by the Department of Correctional Services revealed the charred body found after a fire broke out at the Free State’s Mangaung private prison was not that of the convicted murderer and rapist Thabo Bester.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said a case of murder has been registered after the department revealed the body that was found in the gutted cell at the Mangaung prison was not that of Bester and did not match the DNA believed to be that his mother.
“Following the outcome of the DNA analysis that confirmed that the body of the deceased which was found was not of Thabo Bester. The autopsy report went on to further reveal that the deceased had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head, and was already dead, prior to the arson incident.
“A case of escape from lawful custody was also registered on confirmation by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) that Thabo Bester was not in their custody. The likelihood of more charges being added cannot be ruled out as the investigation unfolds,” Mathe said.
The department confirmed that all evidence indicated that Bester also known as the “Facebook rapist” escaped from jail on 3 May 2022.
A manhunt has since been launched to search for the fugitive who was serving a life sentence for murder and rape at the maximum security prison operated by security company G4S.
The department had initially said Bester died after his prison cell caught fire.
ALSO READ: Government confirms ‘Facebook rapist’ Thabo Bester did not die in prison fire
Meanwhile, national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola has appealed to the public for patient as they investigate the Bester blunder.
“Placing undue pressure on the investigators and demanding blow-by-blow updates at this stage, has the potential to jeopardise the investigation.
“It should also be noted that the leaking of sensitive and confidential information to media houses is being looked into by authorities. To this end, a manhunt has been launched for all persons of interest in this particular case,” Masemola said.
Additional reporting by Getrude Makhafola
ALSO READ: Thabo Bester: Police commissioner to probe media leak
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