Moses Sithole, the "ABC Killer"

Moses Sithole murdered at least 38 women across South Africa's Gauteng and Free State provinces in 1994 and 1995, often luring victims with false promises of job interviews. Media dubbed him the "ABC Killer" for the alphabetical spread of the towns where bodies were found.

Investigation

The case unfolded during South Africa's transition following the end of apartheid, at a time when police resources for tracking a serial offender across provinces were limited. Sithole had a prior rape conviction before the killings began.

Capture and trial

Sithole was arrested in 1995 after a surviving victim identified him. He was convicted in 1997 on 38 counts of murder and additional charges of rape and robbery, and sentenced to a total of 2,410 years, a largely symbolic term given South Africa's abolition of the death penalty.

Current status

Sithole remains imprisoned in South Africa.