Stewart Wilken (born 11 November 1966), known as the Boetie Boer, is a convicted serial killer from South Africa, who was active in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth.
Early life
Stewart Wilken was born on 11 November 1966 in Boksburg, South Africa. His father abandoned him and his two-year-old sister in a telephone booth when he was around six months old.[1][2]
A domestic servant found the children and took them to the home of her employer, a man known as "Doep", who inflicted extreme physical and sexual abuse on Wilken over a period of around 18 months. His sister disappeared. When Wilken was around two, a couple called the Wilkens who lived next door adopted him, finding him malnourished and infested with lice. They named him Stewart Wilken, but he called himself "Boetie Boer" ("brother farmer"). The family moved to Port Elizabeth.[3]
He did not do well at school, and behaved violently both at school and at home on occasion, leading to frequent punishment. He started smoking marijuana at the age of eight, and was sexually abused by a clergyman at the age of nine.[3]
Crimes
Wilken is regarded as a highly unusual serial killer, having killed individuals from two distinct victim types: female prostitutes and young boys. He also killed his adolescent daughter, Wuane. Wilken killed from 1990 until he was arrested in January 1997. He was active in Port Elizabeth, on the east coast of South Africa.[4][5][6][1]
He killed his daughter, Wuane, who was born from his first marriage. He said that she was sexually abused by her step-dad so he wanted to send her soul to God. He also killed Henry Bakers, the son of his second wife. He said during an interview with the police that he had sex with Henry's decomposing corpse. He also stated that he ate the nipples of one of his victims.[4]
Arrest and conviction
Wilken was charged with 10 counts of murder and five counts of sodomy on 3 February 1997. He was convicted of 7 counts of murder and two counts of sodomy on 20 February 1998. Wilken received seven life sentences and was further advised by Justice Chris Jansen that he would have received the death penalty had it still been available to him.[citation needed]
The five-part true crime documentary series Boetie Boer: Inside the Mind of a Monster[7] was released by Showmax in October 2023. Directed by Jasyn Howes, the series features interviews with Wilken himself, as well as the family of one of his victims, Georgina Zweni, and his own surviving children, Sonika and Sergius. Certain events are recreated by actors, with Wilken played by Raven Swart.[8]
Wilken's case is also featured in episode 7 of the Showmax drama series about Micki Pistorius, Catch Me a Killer, released in February 2024.[9][10]
