Cornelius Burger
Cornelius Burger (early 1900s – late 1930s) was a South African serial killer who, between 1936 and 1937, murdered five prostitutes in Johannesburg and took their handbags as souvenirs.
Cornelius Burger | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1900–1903 |
| Died | Late 1930s Psychiatric hospital in South Africa |
| Cause of death | Sexually transmitted infection; Possibly syphilis |
| Motive | Revenge for contracting an STI |
| Criminal penalty | Involuntary commitment |
| Details | |
| Victims |
|
Span of crimes | 1936–1937 |
| Country | South Africa |
| State(s) | Gauteng |
| Target(s) | Prostitutes |
Date apprehended | 1937 |
He committed the murders because he had contracted a venereal disease, which later proved fatal, from a prostitute. After one of his victims survived, Burger was arrested, but he did not stand trial due to the disease spread to his brain, causing mental deterioration. Not long after, he died in a psychiatric hospital.
Biography
Burger was born in the 1900s. Although married, he and his wife slept in separate bedrooms and rarely spoke to each other. He was in his mid-thirties by the time he started committing crimes.[1]
Murders
At some point, Burger contracted a venereal disease, suspected to be syphilis, from a prostitute. By the time he learned of this, it was too late for treatment. He subsequently developed a hatred of prostitutes, and vowed to murder them for revenge. Between 1936 and 1937, he strangled five streetwalkers to death and dumped their bodies along Potchefstroom Road, which runs through present-day Soweto. He also took the women's handbags as souvenirs, keeping them in a cupboard at his house.[2][3]
The case was referred to the head CID Lieutenant, who, after getting permission from higher authorities, assembled a team of detectives to watch over streetwalkers as they worked. One to two detectives were assigned to each prostitute. Every night, they observed the women and wrote down the registration numbers of every vehicle that picked them up. The prostitutes would make their clients agree to drop them off at the same place they picked them up. This continued for months until prostitute Mavis Davids went missing. Police rushed to Potchefstroom Road, where they found her bleeding but alive. Davids informed detectives what had happened: A man in a large black car picked her up. However, she became nervous when he drove to Potchefstroom Road. Once he stopped his vehicle, she tried to escape, but he grabbed her by the neck and strangled her unconscious.[1][2]
Arrest and death
Investigators tracked down Burger's address from the vehicle registration number they had written down. Police waited outside of the house for hours until Burger returned in the morning. As soon as he returned in his car, armed detectives arrested him without any resistance. He then led them to his room where he kept the victims' handbags, three of which were definitely linked to the victims. Davids' purse was still in his car.[1]
A medical examination found Burger unfit to stand trial on the grounds that his illness had already affected his brain. He was instead sent to a psychiatric hospital, where his illness rapidly progressed, causing him to die a short time later.[1]
Aftermath
The investigative work on the case was also compared to that on the Cape Town Prostitute Killer, where police used similar methods to try to protect prostitutes.[1][4]
Ulf Boberg, the lead detective on the case, wrote a book about his experience titled, "Boberg Vertel."[4]
References
- Pistorius, Micki (2012). "Cornelius Burger". Strangers On The Street - Serial homicide in South Africa. South Africa: Penguin Random House. ISBN 9780143527176.
- Shaun, Smillie (29 June 2019). "Pretoria killings have similarities with Joburg's first serial killer". IOL. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- Hickey, Eric (2015). "Serial murder in South Africa". Serial murderers and their victims (7th ed.). Cengage Learning. p. 406. ISBN 9781305261693 – via Archive.org.
- "SA's first killer super-sleuths: Detectives watched over sex workers in 1937 collaboration to track serial murderer". The Independent on Saturday. Durban. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2023 – via ProQuest.