Suspect linked to hospital employee’s murder released
A 35-year-old man arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of a Life St George’s Hospital employee was released from custody yesterday.
After being led into the Gqeberha magistrate’s court yesterday morning, Romeo Macpherson was later released after charges against him were withdrawn by the state.
Macpherson was the first person arrested in connection with the murder of Carol Ann Magielies, 49, who was gunned down outside the Park Drive medical facility on Sunday at about 7pm.
Magielies had just finished her shift at St George’s and was about to take her transport home when she was accosted, pulled aside and shot several times.
She was taken back into the hospital but died shortly after.
On Monday morning, police received information about a body found in a shack among the dunes next to Marine Drive, Summerstrand.
The body of Magielies’s exboyfriend, Elgin Maghienda, 51, the prime suspect in the shooting, was found and it appeared he had committed suicide.
Following the discovery of Maghienda’s body, police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said Detective Sergeant Ridwaan Baatjies, assigned to the case, received information of a Ford Ikon, as well as the driver, allegedly involved in the murder on Sunday evening.
Macpherson was arrested at about 2pm on Monday in Kensington and the vehicle confiscated.
Janse van Rensburg confirmed yesterday that Macpherson was charged with murder and had allegedly driven Maghienda to the hospital, where the shooting took place.
However, the charges against him had since been withdrawn and he was released from custody.
Following his release, Macpherson was seen leaving the court with friends and family.