Cedric Maake South African Serial Killer Country: South Africa

1. Serial Killer from South Africa
2. The Wemmer Pan Killer
3. The Hammer Killer
4. Conviction and Life Sentence
5. Portrayal in Media

Serial Killer from South Africa

Maoupa Cedric Maake, also known as the "Wemmer Pan Killer," committed at least 27 murders between 1996 and 1997. Born in 1965 in South Africa, Maake targeted most of his victims in Wemmer Pan, an area in Johannesburg, starting in April 1996. The first group to investigate the robberies and murders, known as the Brickston Robbery and Homicide Unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS), initially did not connect the killings, believing there were two different serial killers at work due to the vastly different methods used. However, during the investigation, two separate criminal profiles were created for Maake - the "Wemmer Pan Killer" and the "Hammer Killer".

The Wemmer Pan Killer

The first group of victims included men and women who were walking alone. Maake would bludgeon them to death with stones. The second group of victims from Wemmer Pan were couples in cars from the area. Maake would attack them, shooting the men and sexually assaulting the women. The police initially did not link these crimes together until Maake left a clue at a parking lot near one of the crime scenes, leading them to suspect that there may be one serial killer involved.

The Hammer Killer

The police attributed the murders of tailors from the inner city, whom the maniac would kill with a hammer in their own workshops, to the "Hammer Killer". However, the South African police eventually realized that these crimes may be connected when Maake left evidence at one of the crime scenes. Cedric Maake was arrested in December 1997 as a suspect in the Wemmer Pan murders. Initially, he only confessed to these crimes, but he later cooperated with the police, revealing the locations where he committed his heinous acts. This information was used to create a geographic information system (GIS) and crime mapping technology, resulting in a geographical diagram of the murders. As a result, the "Wemmer Pan Killer" became the first case in which the South African Police Service used GIS as evidence.

Conviction and Life Sentence

Maake was charged with 35 counts of murder, 28 counts of attempted murder, 15 counts of rape, 46 counts of aggravated robbery, and other offenses related to the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. In court, Maake pleaded not guilty to all charges. However, a month after his arrest, he confessed to the crimes attributed to the "Hammer Killer". On September 6, 2000, he was found guilty of 27 murders, 26 attempted murders, 14 rapes, 41 aggravated robberies, and many other lesser offenses. Maake was sentenced to 27 life imprisonments, one for each murder, as well as an additional 1,159 years and 3 months in prison. In total, he was given 1,340 years of imprisonment. The death penalty is not practiced in South Africa.

Portrayal in Media

Cedric Maake was featured in the television series "Criminal Minds" on M-Net, hosted by Malcolm Gooding.