Almost a year after the murder of a Glenwood bed and breakfast owner, two suspects have been arrested and are expected to appear in court soon.
Jacqueline Needham, 69, the owner of the Beachwood Guest House in Glenwood, was found murdered at her home on August 10, last year when staff arrived for work that day and found the place broken into and ransacked.
On August 2, two high-level investigative teams, the Ethekwini District Detective Trio Task Team and Ethekwini District Trio Tracing team worked together to arrest the two suspects.
Police spokesperson Captain Carmen Rhynes said the first arrest was of a 25-year-old suspect in the Cato Manor area.
“The suspect was interviewed and eventually admitted to his part in the planning and commission of the murder and robbery, where Jaqueline Needham, aged 69 year old was robbed and killed at her bed and breakfast in Umbilo area on 10 August 2022,” said Captain Rhynes.
She said further information was followed up that same evening, resulting in the tracing and arrest of a second suspect aged 30 years old, also in the Cato Manor area.
“Clothes worn by the suspect, that was used when drawing money with the deceased’s bank card, from an ATM and that was captured on CCTV footage, was also seized from the suspect’s home. A cellphone that the second suspect was using, was investigated and it was established, that the SIM card number he had in his phone, was the same cellphone number that he was using at the time of the commission of this offence and which had placed him on the scene of crime during initial investigations,” said Captain Rhynes.
She said investigations are ongoing in an attempt to trace further suspects.
The first suspect faces charges of murder and robbery, and of defeating the ends of justice for reporting a false case of carjacking.
The second suspect will be charged for murder and robbery.
Ethekwini District Commissioner, Major General MV Kheswa commended the investigation teams for the breakthrough and arrests.
"I commend the teams and applaud them for tirelessly ensuring that those responsible for this senseless murder were brought to book. I am positive that more arrests will follow,” said Major-General Kheswa.
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