South Africa manhunt for convicted killer who escaped prison

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African police have launched a manhunt for convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester who escaped from a privately-run maximum security prison in the Free State province under bizarre circumstances. Bester, known as the “Facebook rapist,” was found guilty in 2012 of raping two women and killing one after luring them with the social media platform. In March last year it was reported that he had died in a fire in his cell in the Mangaung Correctional Center, near Bloemfontein. But now it appears Bester escaped from his cell amid the fire and has been living lavishly in Johannesburg’s posh Hyde Park suburb.