A 35-year-old man from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, is facing attempted murder charges for trying to kill his former girlfriend in the most brutal and painful way imaginable.
Fiery argument between love birds ends in flames
The suspect’s identity is still unknown after he appeared briefly at the Witbank Magistrate’s Court, on Tuesday. Alas, he faces attempted murder charges for an incident that took place at an accommodation venue in Witbank, on Saturday 21 December 2019.
According to Nelspruit police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, things went awry between the man and his 19-year-old girlfriend when they got into a heated argument at the rented accommodation venue.
What prompted the argument? It’s not known at this time. However, the 35-year-old was allegedly left seething and out for revenge. As the teen girlfriend slept later than evening, it’s believed that the suspect hurried out to fetch a gallon of paraffin with sinister plans to burn his girlfriend to ashes.
“He then poured paraffin on her whilst she was asleep. She was awoken by the smell of the paraffin, then the suspect set her alight and locked her in their rented room,” Brigadier Hlathi wrote in a statement.
Nelspruit man evades police for seven months
Thankfully, the teen’s bloodcurdling screams were heard by other patrons of the same accommodation venue and help was immediately sought.
“Fellow tenants heard the victim screaming and summoned the police as well as medical personnel for assistance. When these formations arrived, the medical personnel took the victim to hospital whilst police opened a case of attempted murder,” Hlathi added.
For months, the suspect evaded the blue and white sirens of the police but it was only a matter of time before he resurfaced on their radar.
Sure enough, thanks to tip-offs from people who had seen the suspect, his hiding spot was tracked down to a residence in Shatale, an informal settlement situated near Bushbucksridge.
The suspect was taken in without resistance and charged with attempting to kill his girlfriend.
The condition of the teen is not known at this time.
