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Tuesday, August 22, 2006 - Web posted at 10:11:24 GMT Trial of man accused of torching corpse delayed WERNER MENGESTHE trial of a Windhoek resident accused of murdering someone in the dying days of 2004, loading the victim's body into the boot of a car and driving around with it for part of the day, and then dumping the corpse in the veld and setting it on fire, failed to start as scheduled in the Windhoek Regional Court yesterday. |
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Elias Tjiriange is accused of murdering 24-year-old Heikky Taukondjelwa Asino by shooting him in the head in Windhoek on December 20 2004. Tjiriange's trial on charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating the course of justice, and violating a dead body had been set to start before Magistrate Gert Retief in the Windhoek Regional Court yesterday. With State witnesses who had been subpoenaed to testify in the trial present at court, and Public Prosecutor Belinda Wantenaar informing the Magistrate that the State was ready to proceed , defence counsel Bradley Basson however asked for a postponement to give him more time to prepare for the hearing. Basson told the Magistrate that the contents of the Police docket containing material collected during the investigation was disclosed to him only last Thursday, and he had not had a chance to prepare for the trial. Tjiriange (26) is now scheduled to go on trial on December 5. By then it will have been almost two years since the incident that led to his arrest and the charges he faces. The shooting allegedly followed a disagreement between Asino and Tjiriange over the sale of a car. Having allegedly shot Asino, it is further charged, Tjiriange loaded Asino's body into the boot of Asino's vehicle and drove off with the car. Later that day, having driven around with Asino's body in the car during the day, Tjiriange allegedly dumped the corpse in the veld in the Okahandja Park area of Windhoek. He also set the body alight, it is charged. Tjiriange was arrested the next day. He made a confession after his arrest, Wantenaar remarked during Tjiriange's appearance before Magistrate Retief yesterday, when she told the court why she was opposed to a request from Basson that the bail amount of N$5 000 for Tjiriange to be released from custody should be reduced to N$3 000. The Magistrate did not accede to Basson's bail request. Tjiriange remains in custody in the meantime, having been unable until yesterday to post the required amount in bail money. |
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PO Box 20783 - Windhoek - 42 John Meinert Street Tel: +264 (61) 279600 - Fax: +264 (61) 279602
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