Lesenepole murder suspect dies by suicide in police cell

Pini Bothoko | Wednesday November 11, 2026 17:49

 

The suspect, from Chadibe village in the Tswapong area, was arrested on Sunday following the discovery of the woman's body wrapped in a blanket inside her Honda Fit vehicle he was driving at Palapye Old Mall.

Police No.2 District Officer Commanding, Senior Superintendent Amos Kekgathetse, told MmegiOnline that the suspect had been detained alone in a police cell.

Kekgathetse said police officers on the graveyard shift, conducting routine checks, found the suspect alive. However, during Wednesday's early morning shift change, they discovered that the suspect had hung himself.

'He was detained on Sunday following his arrest and charged with murder. At around 2am, during police checks, he was still fine. However, when our officers were changing shifts around 6am this morning, they found him hanging,' said Kekgathetse.

He said investigations into the suspect's death are ongoing.

The suspect's death comes days after the gruesome discovery of a woman's body in her own car. The deceased and the suspect were reportedly last seen together at a bar in Lesenepole on Friday night, where they allegedly left together when it closed.

On Saturday, members of the public reportedly spotted the suspect recklessly driving the woman's Honda Fit and alerted her son. The son allegedly hatched a plan to lure the suspect to Palapye on Sunday, where he managed to confront him and alert the police, leading to a successful arrest.

It was then that the suspect disclosed he had killed the woman, wrapped her in a blanket, and left her inside her vehicle. Officers at the scene rushed her to Palapye Primary Hospital, where she was certified dead upon arrival.