1 00:00:32,110 --> 00:00:35,950 Welcome to Unsolved Murders Essay, a true crime podcast 2 00:00:35,950 --> 00:00:38,990 based on investigations that at the time of producing this 3 00:00:38,990 --> 00:00:42,750 episode was still open. The views, information or 4 00:00:42,750 --> 00:00:45,750 opinions expressed in the series or solely those of the 5 00:00:45,750 --> 00:00:48,990 individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of 6 00:00:48,990 --> 00:00:52,310 Swisher Post, its parent company and its partners. 7 00:00:52,890 --> 00:00:55,930 Some of the content featured in the series describes details of 8 00:00:55,930 --> 00:00:59,850 extreme violence, therefore viewers discretion is strongly 9 00:00:59,850 --> 00:01:03,770 advised. Before we get into this episode, 10 00:01:03,850 --> 00:01:06,450 we'd like to thank you in advance for subscribing to our 11 00:01:06,450 --> 00:01:09,290 podcast. 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Thank you in advance for your 23 00:01:46,140 --> 00:01:49,910 support. Understanding the mind of a 24 00:01:49,910 --> 00:01:53,190 person who targets minors for sex crimes is a complex and 25 00:01:53,190 --> 00:01:57,310 sensitive area of study. Such individuals often exhibit a 26 00:01:57,350 --> 00:02:01,230 range of psychological, social, and environmental factors that 27 00:02:01,230 --> 00:02:05,430 contribute to their behavior. Many individuals who target 28 00:02:05,430 --> 00:02:08,229 minors for sex crimes have pedophilic disorder. 29 00:02:08,910 --> 00:02:11,710 Pedophilic disorder is a psychiatric condition 30 00:02:11,710 --> 00:02:14,390 characterized by an enduring sexual attraction to 31 00:02:14,390 --> 00:02:17,740 prepubescent children. It's considered a paraphernic 32 00:02:17,740 --> 00:02:21,180 disorder, which means it involves a typical sexual 33 00:02:21,180 --> 00:02:25,020 interests or behaviors. It's essential to understand 34 00:02:25,020 --> 00:02:28,420 that not everyone with a sexual interest in minors meets the 35 00:02:28,420 --> 00:02:32,380 criteria for this disorder, as it requires specific clinical 36 00:02:32,380 --> 00:02:35,820 features and distress or impairment in functioning. 37 00:02:37,420 --> 00:02:40,820 According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental 38 00:02:40,820 --> 00:02:45,610 Disorders, DSM 5, which is used by mental health professionals 39 00:02:45,610 --> 00:02:49,770 for diagnosis, the key criteria for paedophilic disorder include 40 00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:53,970 recurrent intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges or 41 00:02:53,970 --> 00:02:56,250 behaviours involving prepubescent children. 42 00:02:56,610 --> 00:03:01,050 Typically under the age of 13. The person has acted on these 43 00:03:01,050 --> 00:03:05,250 urges or experiences significant distress or impairment in daily 44 00:03:05,250 --> 00:03:10,250 life due to these attractions and the person is at least 16 45 00:03:10,250 --> 00:03:13,610 years old and at least five years older than the child or 46 00:03:13,610 --> 00:03:18,130 children they are attracted to. Pedophilic disorder is further 47 00:03:18,130 --> 00:03:22,970 categorized into two subtypes. Exclusive type which means the 48 00:03:22,970 --> 00:03:26,970 person is exclusively attracted to children or non exclusive 49 00:03:26,970 --> 00:03:30,770 type, the person is attracted to both children and adults. 50 00:03:32,130 --> 00:03:36,490 Norman Afzal Simons, the subject of this episode falls somewhere 51 00:03:36,490 --> 00:03:39,450 in the Gray area that separates these two subtypes. 52 00:03:41,410 --> 00:03:45,930 Simons tried much to his anguish to mask his deep seated lust for 53 00:03:45,930 --> 00:03:47,850 minors. For the most part of his adult 54 00:03:47,850 --> 00:03:51,850 life he was intelligent. His colleagues and neighbors 55 00:03:51,850 --> 00:03:54,690 described him as a friendly and unassuming person. 56 00:03:55,290 --> 00:03:59,750 However, bubbling beneath the surface of that veil, they one 57 00:03:59,750 --> 00:04:04,270 of South Africa's most sadistic and bruthless killers, who, all 58 00:04:04,270 --> 00:04:07,870 factors considered, may have outwitted the country's feeble 59 00:04:07,870 --> 00:04:11,430 justice system. There are conflicting records of 60 00:04:11,430 --> 00:04:15,590 Norman Afsar Simons's background, but based on court 61 00:04:15,590 --> 00:04:18,670 documents we obtained, here's what we know about his past. 62 00:04:19,630 --> 00:04:23,110 In his writings later recognized that trial as admissible 63 00:04:23,110 --> 00:04:27,660 confessions, Simons revealed that he was born on January 64 00:04:27,660 --> 00:04:32,060 27th, 1967 in Greenpoint, Cape Town. 65 00:04:33,060 --> 00:04:36,180 His mother and father were of different ethnic groups. 66 00:04:36,660 --> 00:04:40,580 Simons was brought up as a closa growing up in Queenstown in the 67 00:04:40,620 --> 00:04:45,500 Eastern Cape Province. Professor Zabo, the psychiatrist 68 00:04:45,500 --> 00:04:48,900 who examined Simons at Falkenburg Hospital shortly 69 00:04:48,900 --> 00:04:52,660 after he was arrested, wrote in his report that he came from a 70 00:04:52,660 --> 00:04:55,660 disruptive background characterized by frequent 71 00:04:55,660 --> 00:04:58,940 changes in residents and schools during his childhood. 72 00:04:59,700 --> 00:05:02,420 While it's unclear if his mother was aware of his mental 73 00:05:02,420 --> 00:05:05,540 condition, Simons had a personality disorder that 74 00:05:05,540 --> 00:05:10,540 manifested into severe instances of depression later on in his 75 00:05:10,540 --> 00:05:13,260 life. Records show he periodically 76 00:05:13,260 --> 00:05:16,620 received short term treatment for his condition, which for the 77 00:05:16,620 --> 00:05:20,920 most part was ineffective without the existence of primary 78 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,320 dodge from the horse's mouth, or at the very least insiders with 79 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:26,440 intimate knowledge. Piercing together a 80 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,440 chronological timeline of Simon's history of mental health 81 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,040 was a tall order. However, from the research we 82 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,160 conducted, we determined that somewhere in his childhood, a 83 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,200 series of events with severe traumatic repercussions molded 84 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,800 the disturbed mind of the man believed to be the station 85 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:47,120 Strangler. It's not outside the realm of 86 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,280 possibility that Simons's parents were most probably 87 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:52,400 ignorant of his mental health issues. 88 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,600 In a statement he wrote the days after he was arrested, Simons 89 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,920 revealed that in response to a series of episodes linked to his 90 00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:03,640 mental disorder, his parents performed A ritual that involved 91 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:07,480 slaughtering a goat and amputating his and his sister's 92 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:11,040 ring fingers. Of course, the custom had little 93 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,000 to no impact on his mental wellbeing. 94 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,390 In fact, in the letter, Simons revealed that much of his sexual 95 00:06:17,390 --> 00:06:21,470 deviance was grown by a neighbour and old woman who he 96 00:06:21,470 --> 00:06:23,550 claimed had placed an evil spot on him. 97 00:06:24,470 --> 00:06:27,190 She actually portrayed my future to me, he wrote. 98 00:06:27,990 --> 00:06:30,910 While he did not go into detail about the things the neighbour 99 00:06:30,910 --> 00:06:34,830 did to him, Simons did reveal that she planted dirt in him. 100 00:06:35,670 --> 00:06:39,790 He said this was a main element in most of his deeds, as she had 101 00:06:39,790 --> 00:06:44,310 planted the darkness in him. He returned to Cape Town in 1982 102 00:06:44,590 --> 00:06:46,510 and moved into his mother's house. 103 00:06:47,110 --> 00:06:51,190 His stepfather was also a Prosser and he never really knew 104 00:06:51,190 --> 00:06:55,430 his biological father. Simons also had a stepbrother 105 00:06:55,630 --> 00:06:58,790 who exerted a lot of influence on his sexual deviance. 106 00:06:59,390 --> 00:07:04,350 By 1983, Simons was subjected to repeated acts of sexual abuse 107 00:07:04,390 --> 00:07:09,000 and sodomy inflicted by his stepbrother in his writings. 108 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:12,800 Simons identified this stage of his life as the foundation of 109 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,360 his sexual fixation with minors. By the time he was in the trick, 110 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,880 Simon succumbed to his inhibitions and kicked off his 111 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,560 killing spree. He said that he had acted in 112 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,000 response to the voice of his brother inside him. 113 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:32,480 It's believed Simons claimed his first victim in 1986. 114 00:07:33,180 --> 00:07:37,340 The decomposing body of 14 year old Jonathan Classen was 115 00:07:37,340 --> 00:07:40,860 discovered near Mudder Drum Station in Belleville S on 116 00:07:40,860 --> 00:07:46,700 Friday, October 3rd, 1986. Pieces of Classen's clothing 117 00:07:46,900 --> 00:07:50,620 were tightly wrapped around his neck and hands which were bound 118 00:07:50,620 --> 00:07:53,660 behind his back. A forensic examination 119 00:07:53,660 --> 00:07:56,860 determined that the teenage boy was sodomized and died from 120 00:07:56,860 --> 00:08:00,200 strangulation. Naturally, at the time, Cape 121 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:04,280 Town police had no clue that for the next 8 years they'd be 122 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,720 reeled into a sordid cat's mouse chase with a sadistic child 123 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,760 predator. Three months later, on 124 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:16,880 Wednesday, January 7th, 1987, ten year old Yusuf Hoffmann's 125 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,360 badly decomposed body was discovered in bushes situated 126 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,960 near sewage plant in Mitchell's plane. 127 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,560 Investigators noted that his body too was found in a similar 128 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,250 position, face planted in the sand with pieces of his clothing 129 00:08:31,250 --> 00:08:35,690 tightly wrapped around his neck and hands, still without the 130 00:08:35,690 --> 00:08:37,690 necessary communication resources. 131 00:08:37,690 --> 00:08:41,169 At the time, police had not established a link between the 132 00:08:41,169 --> 00:08:45,650 two cases. However, this change drastically 133 00:08:45,650 --> 00:08:51,370 when on Friday, January 23rd 1987, two weeks after Hoffman's 134 00:08:51,370 --> 00:08:56,380 discovery, the decomposing body of Mario Thomas, a 13 year old 135 00:08:56,380 --> 00:09:00,740 from Mannenburg, was found in a field in Sarepta near Kills 136 00:09:00,740 --> 00:09:04,220 River. It might be that at the time 137 00:09:04,300 --> 00:09:07,420 police were not necessarily looking into the three cases as 138 00:09:07,420 --> 00:09:10,340 a string of murders committed by single person or group. 139 00:09:10,980 --> 00:09:14,260 However, it was established early that the crime scenes 140 00:09:14,260 --> 00:09:17,780 boy's striking resemblance, the bodies were all badly 141 00:09:17,780 --> 00:09:21,010 decomposed. There were signs of sodomy and 142 00:09:21,090 --> 00:09:23,890 all of the victims who struggled with pieces of their clothing. 143 00:09:25,370 --> 00:09:29,090 The absence of documentation of Simons's life in this period 144 00:09:29,090 --> 00:09:32,050 made it impossible to add greater context to this 145 00:09:32,050 --> 00:09:35,130 timeline. However, it can be reasonably 146 00:09:35,130 --> 00:09:38,730 assumed that his stepbrother still exerted a great deal of 147 00:09:38,730 --> 00:09:44,590 influences in his life. In 1987, Simons was presumably 148 00:09:44,590 --> 00:09:49,510 17 years old and possibly a high school or early college student 149 00:09:49,750 --> 00:09:51,990 studying toward a qualification in teaching. 150 00:09:53,150 --> 00:09:56,350 Existing records show that Simons was very intelligent. 151 00:09:56,670 --> 00:09:59,990 People who knew him later testified in his trial that he 152 00:09:59,990 --> 00:10:04,270 spoke 7 languages including English, Afrikaans, Crossa and 153 00:10:04,270 --> 00:10:07,630 French, albeit our research could not establish this as a 154 00:10:07,630 --> 00:10:10,740 fact. Alas, if we are to believe that 155 00:10:10,740 --> 00:10:13,300 Simon's was the station strangler, then his fourth 156 00:10:13,300 --> 00:10:17,260 victim, a boy whose identity remains unknown, was discovered 157 00:10:17,500 --> 00:10:21,940 on Thursday April 9th 1987 around the same area. 158 00:10:21,940 --> 00:10:25,300 Clausen's body was found in a bushy area near Motor Dam 159 00:10:25,300 --> 00:10:30,020 Station Bowval S The remains of his 5th victim, 12 year old 160 00:10:30,020 --> 00:10:33,580 Freddie Cleaves, were discovered in a ditch nearby Hart Station 161 00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:39,790 on Friday June 26th, 1987. Two months later, on Tuesday 162 00:10:39,910 --> 00:10:44,590 August 25th, 1987, the decomposing body of 15 year old 163 00:10:44,590 --> 00:10:47,430 Samuel GABA was discovered in the same area. 164 00:10:48,230 --> 00:10:52,430 By the time his 7th victim was found, an unidentified preteen 165 00:10:52,430 --> 00:10:54,670 whose remains were discovered near Modern Dam station on 166 00:10:54,670 --> 00:11:00,950 Thursday, October 1st, 1987, a wave of fear exacerbated by news 167 00:11:00,950 --> 00:11:04,310 headlines warning of a serial killer targeting children had 168 00:11:04,310 --> 00:11:09,280 spread across the Cape Flats. Interestingly, The Stranger went 169 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:12,280 dark for four months before the 2nd wave of his killing spree 170 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,840 began with the discovery of nine year old Calvin Spiro's body 171 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:21,240 near the Unibal Station in Baja on Monday, February 8th, 1988. 172 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,560 Bizarrely, the Strangler went dark for over a year and 173 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,760 according to existing records, claimed his 9th victim, 11 year 174 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:34,550 old Denver Gazoo, whose body was found at the surreptestation on 175 00:11:34,550 --> 00:11:39,230 Saturday November 11th, 1989. Once again, almost three years 176 00:11:39,230 --> 00:11:41,830 passed with no gruesome sightings of The Stranglers 177 00:11:41,830 --> 00:11:45,990 victims. Perhaps by then Simons had 178 00:11:45,990 --> 00:11:48,670 buried his urges far enough to complete his teaching 179 00:11:48,670 --> 00:11:52,710 qualification and enroll as a Grade 5 teacher at Alpine 180 00:11:52,710 --> 00:11:56,910 Primary School, an environment certainly unsuitable for a 181 00:11:56,910 --> 00:12:01,500 deranged child killer. An important event occurred in 182 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:05,100 Simons's life before he went on his third and final wave of 183 00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:07,340 killings. Again, this is based on the 184 00:12:07,340 --> 00:12:10,140 presumption that he is the station strangler. 185 00:12:11,140 --> 00:12:15,940 In 1991 his stepbrother, who was described as a loose cannon and 186 00:12:15,940 --> 00:12:20,820 an alcoholic, was murdered. In his later writings, Simons 187 00:12:20,820 --> 00:12:23,580 revealed he had already been suppressing the haunting voice 188 00:12:23,580 --> 00:12:25,820 of the old lady who had deflowered him back in 189 00:12:25,820 --> 00:12:29,490 Queenstown. Perhaps this woman's voice had 190 00:12:29,490 --> 00:12:32,370 instructed him to murder nine children before the death of his 191 00:12:32,370 --> 00:12:36,490 stepbrother. Alas, according to Simon's, his 192 00:12:36,490 --> 00:12:40,450 stepbrother spirit haunted him too, egging him to sodomize and 193 00:12:40,450 --> 00:12:45,170 murder more children. Sure enough, on Tuesday, October 194 00:12:45,170 --> 00:12:51,890 27th, 1992 the body of 11 year old Yakobis Lao was discovered 195 00:12:52,010 --> 00:12:54,530 on Nandi Beach's Dunes near Mitchell's Plain. 196 00:12:55,750 --> 00:13:01,910 On Thursday, January 13th, 1994, a municipal worker came across 197 00:13:01,910 --> 00:13:06,350 the body of an unidentified boy in the Valta Frioda doings in 198 00:13:06,350 --> 00:13:09,590 Mitchell's Plain. During the following two weeks, 199 00:13:09,590 --> 00:13:12,390 more bodies were found strong among the dunes. 200 00:13:12,950 --> 00:13:17,070 The killer's pace had accelerated to 11 victims in one 201 00:13:17,070 --> 00:13:21,070 month. The body of Elino Sprinkle, 11 202 00:13:21,150 --> 00:13:25,750 was discovered on Thursday, January 20th, 1994. 203 00:13:26,470 --> 00:13:31,750 Four days later, on Tuesday, January 25th, 1994, the bodies 204 00:13:31,750 --> 00:13:36,110 of Donovan Swartz, 10, and Jeremy Benjamin, 12, were found 205 00:13:36,230 --> 00:13:40,470 lying about 20 meters apart. The next portion of this 206 00:13:40,470 --> 00:13:43,350 recording is an account of events written by Mickey 207 00:13:43,350 --> 00:13:48,130 Pistorius, author of Stranglers on the Street Serial Homicide in 208 00:13:48,130 --> 00:13:51,650 South Africa, a gripping book that explores several cases 209 00:13:51,650 --> 00:13:55,370 which you can purchase online for as little as 135 grand. 210 00:13:56,770 --> 00:14:00,450 In the book, Prestorius wrote, the community of Mitchell's 211 00:14:00,450 --> 00:14:03,850 plane became hysterical after these discoveries and joined 212 00:14:03,850 --> 00:14:07,010 members of the South African police force in a search party 213 00:14:07,010 --> 00:14:10,690 the following weekend. Their search led to the gruesome 214 00:14:10,690 --> 00:14:17,190 discovery of eight more bodies and January 26th, 1994 the body 215 00:14:17,190 --> 00:14:23,270 of Jeremy Smith, 13 was found and on January 27th, 1994 the 216 00:14:23,270 --> 00:14:28,550 bodies of Marcelino Cupido, 9 Neville Samai, 14, an 217 00:14:28,550 --> 00:14:32,670 unidentified young boy and an adult male were found. 218 00:14:33,950 --> 00:14:37,670 The bodies of best friends, 8 year old Fabian Willomore and 11 219 00:14:37,670 --> 00:14:41,950 year old Owen Hofmeister were discovered lying side by side. 220 00:14:42,930 --> 00:14:45,330 They had been strangled with each other's clothing. 221 00:14:46,810 --> 00:14:51,050 Another unidentified boy, fully clothed was found in the dunes. 222 00:14:51,290 --> 00:14:54,810 He was lying on his back and his hands had been tied with nylon 223 00:14:54,810 --> 00:14:57,610 cord. He had been strangled with the 224 00:14:57,610 --> 00:14:59,850 same cord. His underpants were found 225 00:14:59,850 --> 00:15:02,810 nearby. At this stage the station 226 00:15:02,810 --> 00:15:07,250 Stranglers victims totaled 21. The community of Mitchell's 227 00:15:07,250 --> 00:15:10,170 plane gathered at the local police station, demanding the 228 00:15:10,170 --> 00:15:14,030 station stranglers head. They formed vigilante groups and 229 00:15:14,030 --> 00:15:17,470 any man seen in the company of a young boy feared for his life. 230 00:15:17,470 --> 00:15:20,990 As angry mobs chased suspicious looking individuals into the 231 00:15:20,990 --> 00:15:25,470 dunes, the community stormed the Steinberg police station, broke 232 00:15:25,470 --> 00:15:28,110 down fences, and demolished private homes if they thought a 233 00:15:28,110 --> 00:15:31,430 suspect might be hiding there. They formed units that spend 234 00:15:31,430 --> 00:15:34,550 days and nights searching the sewers beneath Mitchell's plane, 235 00:15:34,750 --> 00:15:36,230 and they patrolled school grounds. 236 00:15:36,790 --> 00:15:39,310 Learners were lectured on the dangers of being approached by 237 00:15:39,310 --> 00:15:42,920 strangers and school schedules were changed to enable younger 238 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,400 children to be accompanied home by the older children. 239 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,600 In the churches. Congregations prayed for the 240 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,920 souls of the victims and for their families. 241 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,360 The families of the victims buried their sons and grieved, 242 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,640 some in private and some in public. 243 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,520 At night, though, police still spotted youngsters walking alone 244 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,760 on the streets. The Mitchell's Plain community 245 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:06,360 turned to the South African police force for help and the 246 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:11,180 police responded to their call. A single detective from the 247 00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:14,900 Murder and Robbery Unit, Warrant Officer Reggie Shoulders, had 248 00:16:14,900 --> 00:16:18,620 investigated the earlier murders, which started in 1986, 249 00:16:18,980 --> 00:16:21,980 but he had since retired, leaving the cases unsolved. 250 00:16:22,660 --> 00:16:28,260 In February 1994, a 14 man special task team dubbed the 251 00:16:28,260 --> 00:16:30,660 Stration Strangler Squad was established. 252 00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:34,820 The team was led by Lieutenant Johann Kutzy under the 253 00:16:34,820 --> 00:16:38,380 supervision of the commander of the Cape Peninsula Murder and 254 00:16:38,380 --> 00:16:40,830 Robbery Unit, Colonel Leonard Nipe. 255 00:16:42,070 --> 00:16:44,670 The team operated from the yard of the Mitchell Plain police 256 00:16:44,670 --> 00:16:49,070 station. 3 police caravans parked in the lawn served as 257 00:16:49,070 --> 00:16:53,070 officers for the task team. The parade room of the police 258 00:16:53,070 --> 00:16:56,190 station was converted into an operations room and its walls 259 00:16:56,190 --> 00:16:59,630 were lined with maps and details about the victims, the crime 260 00:16:59,630 --> 00:17:03,270 scenes and suspects. It was also fitted out with a 261 00:17:03,270 --> 00:17:05,349 computer for processing incoming data. 262 00:17:05,819 --> 00:17:09,099 The investigation became more focused and previously unheard 263 00:17:09,099 --> 00:17:10,859 of. Support, such as forensic 264 00:17:10,859 --> 00:17:13,260 psychologists, was seconded to the team. 265 00:17:14,260 --> 00:17:17,140 These were luxuries that had not been available to shoulders 266 00:17:17,140 --> 00:17:20,339 during the 1980s. The Strangler squad was 267 00:17:20,380 --> 00:17:23,780 inundated with approximately 300 calls a day from the community, 268 00:17:24,140 --> 00:17:26,579 all of them offering names of possible suspects. 269 00:17:27,300 --> 00:17:30,700 Up to 2000 suspects were interviewed and interrogated 270 00:17:30,700 --> 00:17:36,170 between February and April 1994. Thousands of criminal records 271 00:17:36,170 --> 00:17:38,530 were perused and all the information in the earlier 272 00:17:38,530 --> 00:17:40,490 dockets was followed up once more. 273 00:17:41,250 --> 00:17:44,770 Detectives even interviewed convicted child abuses to get to 274 00:17:44,770 --> 00:17:46,730 know more about their modus operandi. 275 00:17:48,170 --> 00:17:51,490 A psychological profile of the suspect was drawn up by a police 276 00:17:51,490 --> 00:17:53,730 psychologist. The profile described the 277 00:17:53,730 --> 00:17:57,850 suspect as a mixed race man between the ages of 25 and 35 278 00:17:57,850 --> 00:18:01,690 years old. He would be bilingual, a single 279 00:18:01,690 --> 00:18:04,630 man, probably living with his family, and he would be a 280 00:18:04,630 --> 00:18:07,310 homosexual. He was described as an 281 00:18:07,310 --> 00:18:11,190 intelligent man who dressed very neatly, and he would probably be 282 00:18:11,190 --> 00:18:14,870 a teacher, preacher, policeman or social worker who preferred 283 00:18:14,870 --> 00:18:17,070 the company of children to that of adults. 284 00:18:17,790 --> 00:18:20,670 He would be a local who lived in Mitchell's Plain and would 285 00:18:20,670 --> 00:18:24,150 probably own a vehicle which he would often have resprayed in a 286 00:18:24,150 --> 00:18:27,150 different color. It was likely that as a boy, the 287 00:18:27,150 --> 00:18:29,790 suspect would have been sexually abused by a family member. 288 00:18:30,430 --> 00:18:32,790 The profile was released to the community by the media. 289 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,080 The Strangler Squad used the profile to eliminate the 290 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:38,480 thousands of suspects who did not match it. 291 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:41,320 The detectives were under tremendous pressure. 292 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:45,280 The community wanted revenge and had to be restrained when they 293 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:47,680 turned violent. Politicians tried to use the 294 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,760 investigation as a tool in the 1994 election campaigns, and the 295 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,040 media watched the police's every move. 296 00:18:55,070 --> 00:18:57,670 During the investigation. Detectives visited schools to 297 00:18:57,670 --> 00:18:59,750 warn the children. They gave feedback to the 298 00:18:59,750 --> 00:19:02,950 families and community leaders, and they attended the funerals 299 00:19:02,950 --> 00:19:06,670 of the children, the diversity, other cases of child abuse to 300 00:19:06,670 --> 00:19:09,590 the Child Protection Unit. They listened to the psychics, 301 00:19:09,590 --> 00:19:12,110 and they even halted a robbery in progress, which happened to 302 00:19:12,110 --> 00:19:15,310 take place in their presence. They patrolled the dunes looking 303 00:19:15,310 --> 00:19:18,630 for more bodies and searched for and found missing children. 304 00:19:19,710 --> 00:19:22,990 Those who were of duty on weekends brought in food for 305 00:19:22,990 --> 00:19:26,810 their colleagues. The 14 men worked 24 hour shifts 306 00:19:26,810 --> 00:19:29,570 for three months. The pace of the investigation 307 00:19:29,570 --> 00:19:33,050 did not slap him for a moment. Meetings were held twice daily 308 00:19:33,050 --> 00:19:36,570 to keep everyone fully briefed. Tragically, the station 309 00:19:36,570 --> 00:19:39,770 stranglers undoing came at the cost of another life. 310 00:19:40,850 --> 00:19:47,530 He's 22nd and final victim was 10 year old Alroy Van Royen in 311 00:19:47,530 --> 00:19:51,530 the morning of Saturday, March 19th, 1994. 312 00:19:52,210 --> 00:19:54,890 The call the detectives dreaded most came through. 313 00:19:55,650 --> 00:19:59,130 Another body had been found at claim Flay bordering Mitchell's 314 00:19:59,130 --> 00:20:01,810 plane. The detectives gathered at the 315 00:20:01,810 --> 00:20:04,410 scene within minutes. There were no doubt that this 316 00:20:04,410 --> 00:20:06,690 was another of The Stranglers victims. 317 00:20:07,210 --> 00:20:09,930 The body of the young boy was lying face down with his hands 318 00:20:09,930 --> 00:20:12,290 tied behind his back and his tracks and pants were tied 319 00:20:12,290 --> 00:20:16,130 around his neck. The task team was devastated. 320 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:19,560 The crowd gathered and someone alerted the press who spotted 321 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,200 the members of the Strangler squad and drew the correct 322 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,280 conclusion. The body was soon identified as 323 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,600 that of 10 year old Alroy Van Royan from Strand, a town 324 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:33,040 further down the coast. Alroy's grandmother identified 325 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,240 him she had reportedly missing a week before his body was 326 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,760 discovered. Alroy was last seen alive in the 327 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:43,680 company of his cousin Rhino in and around a shopping center 328 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:47,870 situated near Strand train station on Friday, March 11th, 329 00:20:47,870 --> 00:20:52,710 1994. According to Rhino, he and Alroy 330 00:20:52,710 --> 00:20:55,910 were approached by a man who offered them money to help him 331 00:20:55,910 --> 00:20:58,910 carry empty cord with boxes to the train station. 332 00:20:59,750 --> 00:21:03,750 At first, Rhino agreed and took off with Alroy and the unknown 333 00:21:03,750 --> 00:21:07,390 man. However, along the way Rauner's 334 00:21:07,430 --> 00:21:11,310 unease in the company of the man triggered his sixth sense and he 335 00:21:11,310 --> 00:21:15,110 ran off, leaving his cousin behind who was none the wiser. 336 00:21:16,310 --> 00:21:19,750 Tragically, the 10 year old's body was found near the train 337 00:21:19,750 --> 00:21:24,150 station. A witness, Mrs. Fuzia Hercules, 338 00:21:24,350 --> 00:21:27,750 played a crucial role in not only aiding with the discovery 339 00:21:27,750 --> 00:21:31,830 of Simons as the likely murder suspect, but also his conviction 340 00:21:31,830 --> 00:21:35,750 for the murder of Alroy. After learning of Alroy's death, 341 00:21:36,030 --> 00:21:39,790 Mrs. Hercules approached investigators with information 342 00:21:39,790 --> 00:21:42,230 about the events that unfolded before her eyes. 343 00:21:42,230 --> 00:21:47,370 The day Alroy went missing, Mrs. Hercules told investigators that 344 00:21:47,370 --> 00:21:50,530 she took a good look at the man she saw speaking to Al Roy and 345 00:21:50,530 --> 00:21:53,170 Rhino. She and Rhino worked with the 346 00:21:53,170 --> 00:21:55,970 Strangler Task team to develop and identicate. 347 00:21:57,170 --> 00:22:00,450 Court records later showed that Mrs. Hercules's attention to 348 00:22:00,450 --> 00:22:03,970 detail was key in developing an identicate that led to the 349 00:22:03,970 --> 00:22:08,410 arrest of Simons. It's written that she was so 350 00:22:08,410 --> 00:22:11,850 obsessed with the suspect's description that only the 3rd 351 00:22:11,850 --> 00:22:16,720 identicate satisfied her. Weeks went by without a solid 352 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:20,120 lead from the identical, which was widely released in 353 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:24,400 newspapers, then alerted by a nurse at a private psychiatric 354 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,840 clinic, the detectives pulled in a suspect on the evening of 355 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:32,760 Tuesday, April 12th, 1994, after having kept him under 356 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:36,920 observation for a few days. They warned him of his rights 357 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:40,240 and asked him to accompany them to the caravans at the police 358 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,360 station, which he did voluntarily. 359 00:22:43,310 --> 00:22:50,630 The suspect was 27 year old Afsal Sarfaraz Norman Simons, an 360 00:22:50,670 --> 00:22:53,710 unmarried school teacher who lived with his mother in 361 00:22:53,710 --> 00:22:56,790 Mitchell's Plain. He was described by his friends 362 00:22:56,830 --> 00:23:00,710 as a neatly dressed homosexual who owned a car which had 363 00:23:00,710 --> 00:23:05,030 recently resprayed. Simons volunteered to write down 364 00:23:05,030 --> 00:23:08,270 his life story and was given a pen and paper. 365 00:23:09,030 --> 00:23:12,800 He said he was an inpatient at the clinic that he could not 366 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,440 return to the clinic that evening because the doors were 367 00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:18,880 already locked. He did not want to return home 368 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,160 either. The detectives offered him one 369 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:26,640 of the caravans to sleep in. At noon on April 13th, 1994, 370 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,560 Lieutenant Kutzie formally arrested Simons in connection 371 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:33,880 with the Mitchell's plane cases, but not the claim Flake case. 372 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:40,480 On April 14th, 1994, an identity parade was held and Simons was 373 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:45,340 identified by Mrs. Hercules. Court records show that Mrs. 374 00:23:45,340 --> 00:23:49,100 Hercules's attention to detail was yet again crucial in 375 00:23:49,100 --> 00:23:53,100 disarming the defense at trial. When she spotted Simons in the 376 00:23:53,100 --> 00:23:57,060 parade line, she specifically instructed investigators to make 377 00:23:57,060 --> 00:24:01,020 him turn to the side. After carefully observing his 378 00:24:01,020 --> 00:24:04,620 side profile, she remarked that he was possibly the man she saw 379 00:24:04,620 --> 00:24:07,900 speaking to the two boys, but she did not leave her 380 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:11,020 contributions there. She recalled that Rhino had 381 00:24:11,020 --> 00:24:14,380 revealed any statement that the man had instructed him and Alroy 382 00:24:14,500 --> 00:24:17,380 to walk fast. Mrs. Hercules asked 383 00:24:17,380 --> 00:24:20,100 investigators to instruct Simons to repeat the words. 384 00:24:20,500 --> 00:24:24,300 When he did, she made him walk away with his back turned toward 385 00:24:24,300 --> 00:24:26,820 her. Another man in the parade line 386 00:24:26,820 --> 00:24:30,100 had caught her attention, but something about Simons sent 387 00:24:30,100 --> 00:24:34,500 chills down her spine. After careful consideration and 388 00:24:34,500 --> 00:24:37,260 noticing that the suspect had changed his hairstyle since she 389 00:24:37,260 --> 00:24:41,410 last saw him, Mrs. Hercules rested on her assertion that the 390 00:24:41,410 --> 00:24:44,770 man she saw speaking to Albo and Rhino was Simons. 391 00:24:46,090 --> 00:24:50,010 Rhino said that he also recognized Simons, but was too 392 00:24:50,010 --> 00:24:52,650 scared to point him out as the murderer of his cousin. 393 00:24:53,850 --> 00:24:59,610 On April 15th, 1994, the detectives realized they did not 394 00:24:59,610 --> 00:25:03,010 have enough evidence to charge Simons with the Mitchell's plane 395 00:25:03,010 --> 00:25:06,840 cases and released him but immediately rearrested him in 396 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:11,600 connection with the Alroy case. Simon said that he wished to 397 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:15,560 make a confession and was taken to a magistrate to whom he 398 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:19,480 confessed to having killed children since 1986. 399 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,240 He did not elect to have an attorney present. 400 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:27,800 On Saturday, April 16th, 1994, Simons was taken to Falkenburg 401 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,200 Psychiatric Hospital to say psychiatrist since Colonel 402 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,240 Knight was concerned about his mental state. 403 00:25:35,750 --> 00:25:38,990 When the Colonel interrogated Simons, he had claimed that in 404 00:25:38,990 --> 00:25:41,710 killing the children he was acting on the orders of his 405 00:25:41,710 --> 00:25:45,390 deceased brother. Simons admitted that he had been 406 00:25:45,390 --> 00:25:48,830 sodomized by his older brother when he was the same age as his 407 00:25:48,830 --> 00:25:51,630 victims. The psychiatrist found that 408 00:25:51,630 --> 00:25:54,750 Simons was not suffering from mental illness, but that he had 409 00:25:54,750 --> 00:25:59,510 a personality disorder. Simons then retracted his first 410 00:25:59,510 --> 00:26:01,990 confession and claimed to be innocent. 411 00:26:02,620 --> 00:26:05,700 He gave an alibi statement which was proved to be false. 412 00:26:05,700 --> 00:26:11,980 During his trial on Sunday April 17th, 1994, Simons called Kutsi 413 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:15,540 and said that he wanted to make a second confession. 414 00:26:17,020 --> 00:26:20,660 During the interrogation that day, he actually demonstrated to 415 00:26:20,660 --> 00:26:23,980 the detectives how he had managed to kill two boys at the 416 00:26:23,980 --> 00:26:26,650 same time. He was taken to another 417 00:26:26,650 --> 00:26:29,490 magistrate that evening to make his second confession. 418 00:26:30,010 --> 00:26:32,850 After the confession, he proceeded to point out all the 419 00:26:32,850 --> 00:26:35,730 crime scenes to Lieutenant Mike Barkhasan. 420 00:26:36,610 --> 00:26:39,650 This pointing out, took place during the early hours of the 421 00:26:39,650 --> 00:26:42,730 morning of Monday, April 18th, 1994. 422 00:26:43,050 --> 00:26:45,010 While the community of Mitchell's plane was still 423 00:26:45,010 --> 00:26:49,050 asleep, the Station Strangler Squad followed Barkhasan's 424 00:26:49,050 --> 00:26:52,930 vehicle at a distance to provide backup in case the community 425 00:26:52,930 --> 00:26:54,770 woke up and harassed the suspect. 426 00:26:55,570 --> 00:26:59,290 Later that morning, Simons was charged in court for the first 427 00:26:59,370 --> 00:27:02,330 time. The rest of the subject did not 428 00:27:02,330 --> 00:27:04,650 herald the end of the detective's duties. 429 00:27:05,450 --> 00:27:08,290 They had to take statements and follow up on the background 430 00:27:08,290 --> 00:27:11,770 details of the suspect, but mercifully, the pressure had 431 00:27:11,770 --> 00:27:15,570 abated and they could focus their attention on only one man. 432 00:27:16,450 --> 00:27:20,250 Months later, the Strangler squad was disbanded and one by 433 00:27:20,290 --> 00:27:23,410 one they returned to their former stations, except for 434 00:27:23,410 --> 00:27:28,320 Kutshi, Warrant Officer Dave de Villiers and Sergeant A J 435 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:32,840 Oliver, who had to prepare the case for trial for them. 436 00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,880 The strain ended only a year later when the judge found 437 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:40,720 Simons guilty. The case was referred to the 438 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:43,200 Office of the Attorney General of the Western Cape. 439 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,120 At first, it was received negatively because of the lack 440 00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:50,570 of evidence. In the initial cases, the bodies 441 00:27:50,570 --> 00:27:53,730 were badly decomposed and had been lying in the sun between 442 00:27:53,730 --> 00:27:56,930 the dunes for months. It is characteristic of 443 00:27:56,930 --> 00:28:00,010 organized serial killers not to leave any evidence. 444 00:28:00,570 --> 00:28:03,930 Eventually, senior state advocate Mike Stall and his 445 00:28:03,930 --> 00:28:07,490 colleague Annette Dalanga volunteered to take on the case. 446 00:28:08,050 --> 00:28:10,650 They decided not to charge Simons with the Mitchell's plane 447 00:28:10,650 --> 00:28:15,730 cases, but with the kidnapping, indecent assault and murder of 448 00:28:15,730 --> 00:28:20,390 Alroy von Royne. The trial began on Monday, 449 00:28:20,710 --> 00:28:26,550 February 27th, 1995. Advocate Korth Lowe was 450 00:28:26,550 --> 00:28:30,750 appointed by attorney Reuben Little to act as defense counsel 451 00:28:31,190 --> 00:28:35,950 and Mr. Justice Fund, the Venter and two assessors, Mr. J Boyson 452 00:28:36,030 --> 00:28:38,230 and Advocate C Williams, presided. 453 00:28:39,870 --> 00:28:43,590 The trial was riddled with postponements and dragged on for 454 00:28:43,590 --> 00:28:47,090 months. The accused was often late for 455 00:28:47,090 --> 00:28:49,130 court because of a strike at the prison. 456 00:28:49,490 --> 00:28:52,010 The detectives were grilled under cross examination. 457 00:28:52,170 --> 00:28:56,290 Kutsie was in the witness box for four days during what became 458 00:28:56,290 --> 00:28:57,970 a trial. Within a trial, the 459 00:28:57,970 --> 00:29:01,690 admissibility of the confessions and Simons's tour of the crime 460 00:29:01,690 --> 00:29:06,610 scenes were put to the test. The accused refused to testify. 461 00:29:06,610 --> 00:29:10,130 He sat quietly during the trial, taking notes and giving 462 00:29:10,130 --> 00:29:11,930 instructions to his defense counsel. 463 00:29:12,730 --> 00:29:16,410 Sometimes he clicked his tongue irritably when he did not agree 464 00:29:16,410 --> 00:29:18,210 with the testimony of the detectives. 465 00:29:18,810 --> 00:29:21,490 He never claimed to have been abused by any of them. 466 00:29:21,890 --> 00:29:25,530 In fact, in his confession, Simons expressed his remorse for 467 00:29:25,530 --> 00:29:29,410 the murders and also thanked the detectives by name for arresting 468 00:29:29,410 --> 00:29:31,970 him. Simons had realized that he 469 00:29:31,970 --> 00:29:35,810 needed help, and from 1991 he booked himself into various 470 00:29:35,810 --> 00:29:38,370 psychiatric clinics and institutions for treatment for 471 00:29:38,370 --> 00:29:41,300 depression. His diagnosis was adjustment 472 00:29:41,300 --> 00:29:44,980 disorder with depressive moods, personality disorders, and 473 00:29:44,980 --> 00:29:47,660 depression. They seemed to have been an 474 00:29:47,660 --> 00:29:50,980 informal correlation between the times he committed himself to 475 00:29:50,980 --> 00:29:53,860 these institutions and the times of the murders. 476 00:29:54,780 --> 00:29:58,300 During the trial, the defense tried to indicate that he 477 00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:01,580 suffered from this associative personality disorder and 478 00:30:01,580 --> 00:30:04,820 hypomania, but they failed to establish this. 479 00:30:06,020 --> 00:30:09,620 Simons had problems with his ethnic, religious and sexual 480 00:30:09,620 --> 00:30:13,420 identities, but he was an educated man who spoke 7 481 00:30:13,420 --> 00:30:17,060 languages, including French. He liked classical music, he 482 00:30:17,060 --> 00:30:20,220 loved his vocation as a teacher, and by all accounts he was good 483 00:30:20,220 --> 00:30:23,220 at it. Disturbingly, his grade five 484 00:30:23,220 --> 00:30:26,700 class adored him and he was respected by his colleagues. 485 00:30:27,340 --> 00:30:30,580 Although one of his victims was a pupil from his school, the boy 486 00:30:30,580 --> 00:30:35,530 was not in any of his classes. Simons was a volunteer at the 487 00:30:35,530 --> 00:30:39,890 National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration 488 00:30:39,930 --> 00:30:45,130 of Offenders or Micro, an organization that assists ex 489 00:30:45,130 --> 00:30:49,330 convicts to adjust to society. He helped out in religious 490 00:30:49,330 --> 00:30:51,330 groups and he had a few good friends. 491 00:30:52,570 --> 00:30:55,810 He preferred the company of children and would often take 492 00:30:55,810 --> 00:30:59,130 them swimming in the ocean and treat them to ice cream. 493 00:30:59,970 --> 00:31:04,820 On the morning of March 11th, 1994, hours before he sodomized 494 00:31:04,820 --> 00:31:08,660 and murdered Alref van Royen, Simons had his picture taken to 495 00:31:08,660 --> 00:31:12,940 the list as a police reservist to help in the investigation of 496 00:31:12,940 --> 00:31:17,140 the Station Strangler. Had it not been for his dark 497 00:31:17,140 --> 00:31:20,100 secret, Simons would have been a respected member of the 498 00:31:20,100 --> 00:31:23,540 Mitchell's plane community who made an active contribution to 499 00:31:23,540 --> 00:31:25,340 the upliftment of his fellow men. 500 00:31:26,590 --> 00:31:30,510 In his final confession, he wished all citizens a successful 501 00:31:30,510 --> 00:31:34,990 first democratic election and asked for peace in South Africa. 502 00:31:35,790 --> 00:31:40,750 The case was postponed to May 31st, 1995 for final argument. 503 00:31:41,190 --> 00:31:43,710 The atmosphere in court was tense. 504 00:31:44,830 --> 00:31:48,950 The victim's family, the mothers of other victims and residents 505 00:31:48,950 --> 00:31:52,990 of Mitchell's plane, and friends and family of the accused sat 506 00:31:52,990 --> 00:31:57,330 silently in the court gallery. Eventually, after months of 507 00:31:57,330 --> 00:32:01,050 grueling testimonies and delays, Simons was found guilty of 508 00:32:01,050 --> 00:32:04,690 kidnapping and killing Alroy. For the kidnapping charge, 509 00:32:04,970 --> 00:32:08,970 Simons was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and 25 years for 510 00:32:08,970 --> 00:32:11,890 murder. The sentences ran concurrently 511 00:32:12,410 --> 00:32:16,170 the entire time Simons proclaimed his innocence and 512 00:32:16,170 --> 00:32:18,970 even wrote to Elroy's grandmother denying his 513 00:32:18,970 --> 00:32:23,210 involvement in the death of a beloved grandson, The mothers of 514 00:32:23,210 --> 00:32:29,420 Jonathan Yusuf, Mario Freddy, Samuel Culver, Denver Yocubus, 515 00:32:29,660 --> 00:32:35,060 Jeremy, Benjamin, Marcelino and Lino Fabian, Owen Donovan, 516 00:32:35,060 --> 00:32:39,380 Jeremy Smith and Neville remain without closure on what happened 517 00:32:39,380 --> 00:32:42,620 to their children, despite the existence of strong 518 00:32:42,620 --> 00:32:45,860 circumstantial evidence linking Simons to the crimes. 519 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:51,880 In 1998, Simons's attempt to appeal his conviction was really 520 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:56,720 dismissed by a panel of judges who instead adjusted the 25 year 521 00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:01,920 imprisonment to a life sentence. Following Simons's conviction, 522 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:05,640 the South African Police Service established the Investigative 523 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,280 Psychology Unit to deal mainly with serial killer cases. 524 00:33:09,990 --> 00:33:13,790 To this day, Murder and Robbery Unit detectives are trained 525 00:33:13,830 --> 00:33:17,550 annually by the Psychology Unit using resources collected during 526 00:33:17,550 --> 00:33:19,430 the Station Stranglers investigation. 527 00:33:20,230 --> 00:33:24,430 Simons, the accused but not convicted Station Strangler, was 528 00:33:24,430 --> 00:33:30,750 released on parole on Thursday, July 20th, 2023 under strict 529 00:33:30,790 --> 00:33:33,680 conditions. The Department of Correctional 530 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:36,600 Services assured Mitchell's Plain residents during a 531 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:40,480 community meeting that Simons would be subject to stringent 532 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,640 monitoring and restrictions upon his release. 533 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:47,480 According to Ronnie Biller, the Head of Community Corrections 534 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:51,200 for the Bowville area, Simons will be placed under 24 hour 535 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,280 house arrest. The parole conditions dictate 536 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:57,590 that he must not have any contact with children at an 537 00:33:57,590 --> 00:34:00,670 official from the Department of Correctional Services will visit 538 00:34:00,670 --> 00:34:05,110 his residence 8 times per month. Additionally, Simons will 539 00:34:05,110 --> 00:34:07,870 require permission from the department to engage with the 540 00:34:07,870 --> 00:34:11,270 media. The news of Simons's upcoming 541 00:34:11,270 --> 00:34:14,989 release has reopened old wounds within the Mitchell's playing 542 00:34:14,989 --> 00:34:18,510 community. Norman Yankees, the chairperson 543 00:34:18,510 --> 00:34:20,670 of the Mitchell's Playing Community Policing Forum, 544 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:24,600 addressed residents during the community engagement, stressing 545 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,840 the need to give Simons an opportunity to reintegrate into 546 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:31,480 society and seek forgiveness for the community's past trauma. 547 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,280 Yankees acknowledged the pain caused by Simons, but also 548 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:38,719 emphasized the importance of providing a chance for 549 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:42,320 rehabilitation. Has Simons rehabilitated from 550 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:46,600 the demons that he claimed drove him to kill at least 22 children 551 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,590 with his recent parole? Was just a serve to the families 552 00:34:51,590 --> 00:34:53,830 of the children whose murders remain unsolved. 553 00:34:54,750 --> 00:34:57,070 This brings us to the end of our episode. 554 00:34:57,190 --> 00:35:00,110 If you enjoyed our podcast, please consider giving us a star 555 00:35:00,110 --> 00:35:02,550 rating. We appreciate all the feedback 556 00:35:02,550 --> 00:35:05,230 and it helps us improve the quality of our podcast. 557 00:35:05,670 --> 00:35:08,430 Also, if you have a story you would like us to investigate, 558 00:35:08,590 --> 00:35:14,190 please send us an e-mail at info@swisherpost.co dot zede and 559 00:35:14,190 --> 00:35:16,790 provide us with as much information as possible. 560 00:35:17,310 --> 00:35:20,590 Please note that the story suggestions must be based in 561 00:35:20,590 --> 00:35:21,270 South Africa.