Thabo Bester, a convicted Facebook rapist, and the murderer escaped a private maximum security prison in South Africa’s Free State province.
Bester, also known as the Facebook rapist, was found guilty in 2012 of using the social networking site to lure two women, rape them, and kill one of them. In March of the previous year, officials announced his death in a cell fire at the Mangaung Correctional Center, located not far from Bloemfontein.
Police Search For ‘Facebook Rapist’
South African police have confirmed that Bester’s DNA was not found in the burned body found in the cell. The autopsy revealed that the person found dead in the cell had suffered blunt-force trauma to the head prior to the fire.
Many questions have been raised about the possible involvement of prison officials in what appears to have been part of Bester’s elaborate prison escape.
Motantsi Makhele, a police spokeswoman, stated that a case of murder is being investigated after a DNA test confirmed that the body of the deceased found was not that of Thabo Bester. The DNA test confirmed that the body found was not Bester’s.
She stated that the identity of the man found dead in the cell remains unknown.
As prison officials have confirmed that Bester is not in their custody, a case of escape from lawful custody has also been opened, according to Makhele.
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Suspect Manages To Do Crime While In Prison
According to media reports, Bester was spotted shopping in the upscale Sandton neighborhood of Johannesburg and has been romantically linked to a prominent celebrity doctor.
While in prison, Bester managed an event and production company using a laptop he had for school. At one point, he spoke from his prison cell while wearing a tie and claiming to be from the United States.
According to South Africa’s Department of Correctional Services, the Mangaung prison is currently administered by the British private security firm G4S, which was awarded a contract to run the facility until 2026. The department doesn’t intend to renew the contract, claims a statement.
Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesperson for Correctional Services, stated, “We will leave no stone unturned in our investigation into Thabo Bester’s escape, and there will be severe repercussions for all parties involved.”
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