Durban — Next week the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court will continue hearing evidence from the State in the trial against a man suspected of being a serial rapist and killer operating in the Queensburgh area.
On Tuesday the trial resumed with the investigating officer taking the stand and leading evidence.
Lindokuhle Rowan Mwethu Beni, 45, who pleaded not guilty is charged with housebreaking with the intent to rape, housebreaking with the intent to steal, robbery as well as rape.
He is suspected of being an alleged serial rapist and murderer.
The charges against him were the only cases the State was able to pin on him with evidence.
He had previously been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of rape and house robberies.
However, two murders were provisionally withdrawn while the State continued investigating the case.
It is said that the accused had made it hard for police to identify him in the past as he cleaned the scene, including his victims with sanitiser after the crime to eliminate DNA.
He had also allegedly gone to the lengths of biting his fingertips in a bid to not leave any evidence and also making it impossible for police to take his fingerprints upon arrest in the past.
The two murder charges that were provisionally withdrawn against the man relate to Malvern residents 40-year-old Evidence Ntombifikile Seager and 72-year-old Savithree Moodley.
In August last year, Seager’s body was found not far from her home. She had been stabbed 12 times in the chest and had handcuffs around her ankles, she was allegedly raped.
Items that were allegedly stolen from Seager’s home were found on the accused when he was arrested.
Moodley was found murdered in October last year in her home with stab wounds on her chest.
On Tuesday in court, following the testimony of the investigating officer, the State submitted evidence in the form of statements from two officers.
The statement of Sergeant Lindani Nkomo was handed in to form parts of exhibits in the trial. He received the complainant’s rape kit in the matter and signed in as evidence into the SAPS13.
The second statement that the State handed in as an exhibit was that of Warrant Officer G Krishna confirming that the rape kit in the case was handed into the SAP13 as evidence.
The case was adjourned to next Tuesday.
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