Themba Sukude

Themba Anton Sukude (born 16 May 1974), also known as the Newcastle serial killer, is a South African serial killer who murdered four men and raped two women in Newcastle's Trim Park between February 2004 and January 2005. His initial modus operandi consisted of targeting couples. He would bludgeon the male with a rock and rape the female. However, he later switched to solely targeting men. He was caught in March 2005 after confessing to a stranger, and convicted of the crimes the following year. He is serving five life sentences as well as an additional 40 years.

Early life Sukude was born on 16 May 1974. A Zulu speaker, he dropped out of school in grade three. He had a high number of convictions dating back to 1990, but his initial criminal activity was seized about a decade prior to the murders.

At 11:00 p.m. on 27 October 2004, a male taxi driver parked his minibus, retrieved a blanket, and began to engage in sexual activities with his girlfriend. Suddenly, Sukude fatally struck the male once with a rock he found nearby. The woman pleaded with Sukude and tried to get dressed, but he ordered her not to. He then grabbed her hand and repeatedly asked her where the firearm was. The woman, confused, informed him that there was no firearm. Nevertheless, he searched the male's trousers but found nothing. He proceeded to take out his knife, put it around the woman's neck, forced her to walk to another location, and raped her. They then returned to the taxi, and she got dressed as Sukude rummaged through the vehicle. He lit a small fire inside the taxi and stole the woman's purse and two phones before fleeing. After he left, the surviving victim ran away and reported the crime to the authorities.

On 7 January 2005, an Indian man left his sister's house. As he walked along the side of the road near the scene of the second attack, Sukude beat him with a rock. The victim was found alive the following morning, but he succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Like the third victim, his shoe was also missing. A large roll of money was also found next to his head. He was the first South African serial killer to be convicted of some murders by solely linkage analysis. He will be eligible for parole in 2031, when he is 57-years-old.