Just less than a year after the owner of the Glenwood guest house, Jacqueline (Jackie) Needham, was murdered in Durban, two suspects have finally been arrested in connection with the murder. One of these suspects has already admitted his involvement in the murder.
Needham (69) was robbed and murdered in her guest house in the Umbilo area on 10 August last year.
Capt. Carmen Rhynes, police spokesperson, says the police’s investigation led them to a suspect (25) in Cato Manor in Durban. The suspect was arrested and questioned on Wednesday and has since admitted that he had a part in planning and committing the murder of Needham.
The police followed up on further information the same evening and a second suspect (30) was arrested in the vicinity of Cato Manor.
The police have meanwhile seized the clothes the suspects were wearing when they allegedly withdrew cash from an ATM with Needham’s bank card after the murder. The suspects were captured on CCTV footage during the withdrawal.
The second suspect’s mobile phone was also forensically examined and the police determined that he was still using the same SIM card that he used at the time of the murder. This puts him at the scene of the murder.
The two suspects are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today. The one suspect will be charged with murder and robbery as well as defeating the law as he apparently also reported a false case of carjacking at one stage.
The others will face charges of murder and robbery.
In the meantime, the police are continuing their investigation in the hope of identifying more suspects in the case.
