Detectives have charged a woman with receiving the stolen mobile phone at the centre of a 17-year-old cold case murder in Sydney’s south-west, NSW Police say.
Investigators from Strike Force Samuelson, attached to Liverpool Local Area Command, have reopened the case relating to the death of 35-year-old father of five, Sanele Nickel, near his Lurnea home on 15 May, 1999.
Mr Nickel was woken by his car alarm around 4.45am that day and went outside to investigate.
He found the front passenger side window of his four wheel drive smashed and his Nokia 5110 mobile stolen from the console.
When he allegedly confronted two men nearby he was fatally stabbed three times and later died in Liverpool hospital.
Acting on information provided to Crime Stoppers following a renewed public appeal earlier this month, detectives have interviewed and charged a 52-year-old woman from Balmain with receiving the stolen phone.
It is alleged she exchanged a small amount of heroin for the mobile in the days after the incident.
She has been bailed to appear in the Liverpool Local Court on Wednesday 3 August..
Detectives believe they are closing in on Mr Nickel’s killer or killers, thanks to the public support in this case.
"Calls to Crime Stoppers have pointed us in a number of directions and we are confident we are making significant progress in the investigation," Liverpool Crime Manager, Detective Inspector Dean Johnstone, said.
Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/ Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.
