Werner de Jager applies for bail at the Amanzimtoti Magistrates Court in January. (Garo/Deon Lars)
- Suspected wife killer Werner de Jager died on Monday, reportedly of a drug overdose.
- De Jager allegedly beat the pastor's wife Liesel to death in October 2021 and pretended to have raped her.
- The Department of Corrections said he died from “medical complications.”
Suspected wife killer Werner de Jager has died in prison from an overdose.
The 45-year-old man is suspected of beating and cutting his wife Liesel, 38, at their home in Amanzimtoti in October 2021.
At the time of her death, Liesel was working as a popular pastor at NG Church Suidokus.
De Jager was recently denied bail by the Amanzimtoti Branch Court and was scheduled to return to court on May 10.
Department of Correctional Services (DCS) spokesperson Thulani Mdluli confirmed Mr de Jager's death.
“The Department of Corrections can confirm the death of detainee Werner de Jager, who was admitted to King Edward Hospital on April 5, 2024 due to complications.”
“On April 15, 2024, DCS was officially informed that the detainee had died in hospital.”
Investigators say he died of a drug overdose.
Lawsuit against de Jager
According to the state, Liesel and De Jager's two children were in the home when Liesel was killed.
The couple's relationship is said to have deteriorated to the point where they slept in separate bedrooms.
Mr de Jager had insured Liesel for R3.29 million two months before he allegedly murdered her.
In an affidavit obtained by News24, investigator Maria Ruet said in the affidavit that after slitting Liesel's throat, she disrupted the crime scene to make it appear as if Liesel had been raped. .
“He further staged the scene and tampered with the deceased's body in a suggestive manner.” [that] His wife was a victim of sexual assault.
“In doing so, he intended to humiliate her posthumously, disparage her and mislead the investigation,” she added.
Mr. de Jager denied the charges and claimed that an unknown intruder had killed Liesel.
But during the bail bid, Judge Zamanyuswa Nyuswa said the state had presented overwhelming evidence and had a strong case against de Jager.
The National Prosecuting Authority is understood to have considered charging Mr de Jager with two counts of murder after he was suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run incident in the Free State in April last year.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that the defendant died while hospitalized under the guard of a correctional facility.