Cape Town -“Facebook rapist” Thabo Bester on Monday pleaded guilty to robbing and murdering model Nomfundo Tyhulu.
The Western Cape High Court heard that Bester got into an argument with Tyhulu, 26, while they stayed in Cape Town at a bed and breakfast in Milnerton on September 21, 2011.
She was apparently upset about a previous girlfriend of his. They went to sleep, and Bester woke up in the early hours of the morning, decided he would stab her and take her laptop and cellphone.
He said in his confession that he went into the kitchen and took a knife. When he walked back to the bedroom, Tyhulu was awake. They struggled for control of the knife and he stabbed her in the chest, causing her to bleed profusely.
Bester tied her hands behind her back and asked her for her laptop password, but she could not respond.
He left her in the bedroom and told the guesthouse owner that Tyhulu was still sleeping and should not be disturbed until 2pm. The owner then gave him a lift into central Cape Town. He flew back to Durban soon after that.
His lawyer Peter Burgers told the court his client was “deeply sorry” for the murder and did not know what possessed him to commit the act. He said Bester acted on the spur of the moment.
Bester was previously sentenced to 50 years in prison for raping and robbing two models. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail on each count of rape and 15 years on each count of robbery. Five years of each robbery sentence was suspended.
Bester is called the “Facebook rapist” as he used the social networking site to lure women to meet him, claiming that international modelling scouts were interested in them. Armed with a knife, he then raped and robbed them.
Judge Judith Cloete found Bester guilty of murder and robbery and postponed the matter to Tuesday to allow the defence time to prepare arguments for sentencing. - Sapa