Beauty and the Bester

Thabo Bester, South Africa’s so-called “Facebook Rapist,” was serving a murder conviction when he died by suicide in his prison cell, setting his bed on fire. But authorities later revealed the victim had been killed before the fire began. The story took another turn when celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana attempted to claim Bester’s body. Investigators looked deeper into the connection between the inmate and the social media influencer. Then the media questioned whether Bester had faked his death and escaped with Magundumana’s help. The three-part Netflix series “Beauty and the Bester” recounts the extraordinary investigation into South Africa’s most notorious criminal, his relationship with a celebrity, and what happened next. Featuring extensive interviews with Magudumana's family and investigative journalists, the series shows how a bizarre prison death turned into a national sensation. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "BEAUTY AND THE BESTER" BEGIN IN THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon . Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com. This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio . Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Beauty and the Bester is an episode from Crime Writers On...True Crime Review by Partners in Crime Media.

This episode is 00:42:00 long.

This episode was published on Mar 12, 2026.

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