Stewart Wilken, also known as Boetie Boer, is a well-known serial killer in South Africa. I have mentioned him in several of my articles as he is one of the most fascinating serial killers to date.
One of the first things that makes this case so interesting is that most serial killers have a specific victim in mind (I will discuss victimology next week).
They normally stick to the same race as their own and if they decide to murder young women, then you would expect all of their victims to be young females.
But Boetie Boer chose victims from different races and genders, which is very uncommon in serial killers.
The next fascinating thing about this case is that Boetie Boer killed his daughter; it is very uncommon for serial killers to kill anyone close to them.
Stewart Wilken was convicted of seven counts of murder and two counts of sodomy.
He was sentenced to seven life sentences. Even though he committed these horrendous crimes, he received very little media attention.
It was the ’90s and people were focusing on the release of Nelson Mandela and large political changes. A serial killer in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) was not front page news.
Wilken’s first victim was a 15-year-old boy, living on the streets. He was sodomised and strangled.
The next victim was a prostitute Wilken picked up after fighting with his wife.
Five years and a couple of victims later, Wilken killed his daughter.
He believed that she had been molested by her stepfather and he wanted to save her from the life she had. By strangling her, he sent her soul to God, he claimed.
It’s shocking to think so much wrong can come from one person.
As a baby, Wilken and his sister were abandoned in a phone booth. A domestic worker found them and took them to her employer’s house.
The man of this house assaulted Wilken regularly and his sister went missing.
When he was two years old he was adopted by the neighbors out of compassion and they named him Stewart Wilken.
He did not do well in school and was often bullied. He failed grade 3 three times, assaulted a teacher, and was badly beaten by the principal in front of the other children.
Wilken was further punished and belittled by his adoptive mother. At age nine he was sodimised by the deacon at Sunday school.
It’s safe to say Wilken did not have an easy childhood and this makes it a little easier to understand why he turned into such a monster.
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