|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You Are
Here: |
Local News|
Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - Web posted at 7:22:05 GMT Murder accused pleads not guilty WERNER MENGESMORE than a year after its initial scheduled starting date, the delayed trial of murder suspect Johannes Amunyela, accused of killing his girlfriend in the Ondangwa area in mid-2004 by stabbing her 23 times with a knife, finally began in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday. |
|
The prosecution is alleging that Amunyela killed Shiimi by stabbing her 23 times with a knife. Amunyela pleaded not guilty to the murder charge with the start of his trial before Judge Louis Muller. He however admitted through his defence counsel, Lucia Hamutenya, that he had stabbed Shiimi five or six times with a knife and that he had caused her death - but denied that he had inflicted 23 stab wounds on her. In a plea explanation read out by Hamutenya, he stated that he had stabbed Shiimi with a knife after she had stabbed him on his left leg with the same weapon. He however had no intention to kill Shiimi, Amunyela added in the statement. The first prosecution witness that State advocate Dominic Lisulo called to give evidence, Leena Amunyela, told the court that she is an elder sister of Amunyela. She related that during the afternoon of July 22 2004, Amunyela came to her at the open market at Ondangwa, where she is a trader, and told her that she had to come with him, because he had a problem. She said she and Amunyela drove to a bar at Ondangwa where their younger brother was working. On the way to the bar, Amunyela looked "like someone who's confused in his head", she said. At the bar, Amunyela bought a small bottle of liquor, which he drank, and then he started crying and told his brother that he had killed Shiimi, she testified. "He said that he killed her because she had wasted his money. Now that she sees he is bankrupt, she doesn't want him any more," Ms Amunyela told the Judge. She said she saw an injury low on the left side of Amunyela's neck. He told her that he had also tried to kill himself, she told the Judge. Ms Amunyela added that she, her husband and her younger brother took Amunyela to the Ondangwa Police Station to report the incident. From there, they and some Police officers drove with Amunyela so that he could show them where the stabbing had taken place. Amunyela took them to the spot where Shiimi's body was still lying. Amunyela's trial had been set to start in the High Court on January 30 last year, but did not get going as scheduled when his defence lawyer withdrew from the matter. With the trial set to begin the next day with a new defence lawyer on board, Amunyela disappeared. He had been free on bail of N$3 000 since early October 2005. Amunyela was eventually arrested about two and a half months after his failure to appear in the High Court prevented the start of his trial. He has remained in custody since that arrest. |
|
||||
PO Box 20783 - Windhoek - 42 John Meinert Street Tel: +264 (61) 279600 - Fax: +264 (61) 279602
|
