Tommy Williams (serial killer)

Little is known about Williams' early life. He was born and raised in Vergenoeg, a suburb of Kimberley, the second youngest in a family of six children. Prior to his capture, his only known criminal conviction was for theft in 1990, for which he was lashed seven times.[2]

In 1987, the 16-year-old Williams decided to accompany 8-year-old Marthatjie 'Martha' Botha, a neighbor of his, to a shop in Galeshewe. After they finished, Tommy proceeded to lure her into an unused sports stadium, where he proceeded to strangle her to death. He then covered the girl's body with grass and branches, and went to the police, claiming that he had 'found' her in that state. He was not considered a suspect at the time, and the case went cold.[3]

In 2004, 13-year-old Thabang Bihi disappeared from his home in Warrenton. After searches were conducted, Bihi's decomposed body, again covered with grass and branches, was found at an abandoned house. His death initially couldn't be ascertained due to the state of the corpse, but it was considered homicidal in nature, as a shoelace was found wrapped around his neck.[3] Curiously enough, Thabang was friends with Williams, who had also coincidentally lived in that same house, and was found in possession of some of Bihi's personal items. However, it was deemed that the evidence was lackluster, and he was let go.[1]

The last murder would occur four years later, in Roodepan. Tommy was friends with a 28-year-old disabled man named Norman Petrus Watermeyer, who suffered from scoliosis and had a weakened right arm.[3] The two were last seen together, before Norman vanished mysteriously. Not long after, the Watermeyers began to receive anonymous phone calls, in which the caller claimed that Norman was alive and well, but had skipped town out of fear, as he had been scheduled for an upcoming operation.[1] Some time later, his partially burned body was discovered by youths in Roodepan,[3] and this time, Williams was considered the prime suspect, backed up by the fact that he had Watermeyer's cellphone and other possessions with him.[4] In spite of these strong implications, again, there was no conclusive evidence for an arrest. Williams would later positively identify the body as that of Watermeyer in the mortuary, before giving away his belongings.[1]

One of the investigating officers for the Watermeyer homicide was Det. Inspector Fernando Luis, who was aware of Williams' connections to the 2004 Bihi murder. At the time, there were rumors that Tommy had found the body of another child murdered decades prior, and Luis was determined to locate the case. He discovered that the child in question was 8-year-old Martha Botha, who was a neighbor of Williams. Drawing connections between the three killings - all vulnerable victims, strangled, and known friends of Williams - Luis dug further, contacting Martha's mother and looking up old archived newspapers to back up his suspicions. After finding all the necessary information, Luis presented it to his superiors, and not long after, Tommy Williams was put on trial for all three murders.[1] This feat earned the detective praisal from both Senior Superintendent Lindela Mashigo, and Professor Gerard Labuschagne, commanding officer of SAPS' investigative psychology unit and one of the country's most respected researchers on serial murder.[3][1]

At trial, it was noted by Prof. Labuschagne that if convicted, Williams would be South Africa's longest-active serial offender, spanning 21 years, but fortunately, with only three victims.[2] Utilising the evidence, Justice Steven Majiedt ruled that the accused was guilty beyond any reasonable doubt, as all of the evidence, albeit circumstantial, proved that he was behind the killings of all three victims, and two additional assaults on women.[4] Now dubbed the 'City Serial Killer' by attending media, Tommy Williams was handed down two life terms with an additional 10 years, showing no remorse for his actions and inviting journalists for interviews at his cell. Williams later submitted an appeal to the Northern Cape High Court, but it was promptly rejected. His sentences are to be served concurrently, and he remains incarcerated to this day.[2]

• List of serial killers by country

• The State v. Tommy Williams