Beach killing: She ran, so I shot her, says Swakop beach murder suspect

“SHE tried running so I shot her twice on her body.

She fell down. I took the handbag and gave it to Kamati Kamati.I did not look in the handbag to see what was in it.”This was part of the description of the deadly events that took place on a peaceful, near-deserted beach at Swakopmund on the morning of August 13 2004 that murder suspect Naftalie Kondja gave to a Magistrate at Walvis Bay a few hours after his arrest, Acting Judge Collins Parker heard on the first day of Kondja’s trial in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday.Kondja (28) and two co-accused, Matti Kamati (37) and Temus Shiwalo (33), are facing charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft in connection with the shooting incident that claimed the life of 44-year-old goldsmith Alexandra Mooren as she was walking along a beach on her way to work early on the morning of August 13 2004.Their trial started yesterday with Kondja’s defence counsel, Lucia Hamutenya, offering guilty pleas to the court on both the murder and robbery charges on behalf of her client.Kamati and Shiwalo both denied all three charges against them.Hamutenya also informed Acting Judge Parker that on the theft charge, in which the three men are accused of having stolen a .22 revolver, 100 rounds of .22 ammunition and a video camera from a car at Swakopmund on August 12 2004, Kondja wanted to only admit that he had received the stolen firearm with six rounds of ammunition.State advocate Sandra Miller did not accept Kondja’s pleas on those three counts.The State would proceed to lead evidence in an endeavour to prove these charges, she informed the court.On the murder charge, the State wants to prove that Kondja had a direct intention to kill Mooren, she said.In his plea, Kondja admitted that he had fired two shots in the direction of Mooren, that he foresaw the possibility that she might die as a result of the shooting, and that he reconciled himself with that possibility.These admissions stop short of any unequivocal acknowledgement that he had a direct intention to kill Mooren.Miller however did accept the guilty pleas that Hamutenya offered on an additional three charges that Kondja alone faces.These are counts of illegal possession of a .22 revolver – the same one that was stolen from a car at Swakopmund the day before Mooren was shot – and six rounds of live ammunition for the gun, and a charge of negligent handling of a firearm.On the first two charges, Kondja admitted that he illegally possessed the firearm, which is the gun with which Mooren was allegedly shot, and ammunition when he was arrested shortly after the robbery and fatal shooting.He further admitted that on the day before the robbery, he had handled a firearm negligently and fired off a shot at a liquor store at Swakopmund.BREAKTHROUGH Detective Warrant Officer George Xoagub, who led the investigation into the killing of Mooren, was the first State witness to testify in the trial.He told the court that he was notified at about 08h10 on August 13 2004 of the shooting that claimed Mooren’s life.He went to the scene where she was attacked and received information from an eyewitness about the clothing of a man who had been seen running away from the scene, he told the court.Xoagub said he immediately informed Police officers via radio to be on the lookout for anyone wearing clothing fitting that description, and asked that all exits out of the town should be closed off and taxis checked for possible suspects.Half an hour later he was informed that Kondja had been caught.He was still wearing a red cap – just like the fleeing suspect wore – and was found in possession of a .22 revolver, Xoagub said.The gun was still loaded with six live rounds of ammunition, as well as three spent cartridges, he said.Ballistic tests that were done later linked that gun to the slug that was retrieved from Mooren’s body during an autopsy, Xoagub added.When he questioned Kondja at the Swakopmund Police station that same morning, Kondja told him that he had shot Mooren and had taken her handbag, the detective also testified.Kondja also said he had then handed the handbag to Matti Kamati, who was waiting for him in a lane of trees behind the row of houses on the section of beach where Mooren was killed, Xoagub said.Kondja further told him that Shiwalo, who is a taxi driver, and a fourth person, known as ‘Makutsi’, had also been involved in the planning of the robbery, Xoagub continued.By the early afternoon of the same day, Kondja told him he was willing to make a confession, Xoagub said.He then arranged to have Kondja taken to Walvis Bay, where a statement was made before a Magistrate.That statement is not in dispute in the trial.Hamutenya attached a portion of it to Kondja’s plea explanation to set out his version of events.In the statement, Kondja related that he and three other men – named as Kamati Kamati, ‘Tjiwaro’ and ‘Makhutsi’ – were involved in the incident.”We came to town.We found a lady walking at by the sea.I came at her and took her handbag from her.From there she wanted to run away and I shot in the ground and she stood still,” he stated to the Magistrate.”There was another person who was jogging and she saw us and was coming towards us.The one whom I ordered to stand saw the other person who was jogging was coming for assistance and she tried running so I shot her twice on her body,” he stated.As it stands now, the confession counts as evidence only against Kondja.What is stated in the confession would only become evidence against Kamati and Shiwalo if Kondja repeats it in evidence in court.The only information he has about Kamati’s and Shiwalo’s alleged involvement in the incident is what Kondja had told him, Xoagub acknowledged in response to a question from Acting Judge Parker yesterday.The trial continues today.I took the handbag and gave it to Kamati Kamati.I did not look in the handbag to see what was in it.”This was part of the description of the deadly events that took place on a peaceful, near-deserted beach at Swakopmund on the morning of August 13 2004 that murder suspect Naftalie Kondja gave to a Magistrate at Walvis Bay a few hours after his arrest, Acting Judge Collins Parker heard on the first day of Kondja’s trial in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday.Kondja (28) and two co-accused, Matti Kamati (37) and Temus Shiwalo (33), are facing charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft in connection with the shooting incident that claimed the life of 44-year-old goldsmith Alexandra Mooren as she was walking along a beach on her way to work early on the morning of August 13 2004.Their trial started yesterday with Kondja’s defence counsel, Lucia Hamutenya, offering guilty pleas to the court on both the murder and robbery charges on behalf of her client.Kamati and Shiwalo both denied all three charges against them.Hamutenya also informed Acting Judge Parker that on the theft charge, in which the three men are accused of having stolen a .22 revolver, 100 rounds of .22 ammunition and a video camera from a car at Swakopmund on August 12 2004, Kondja wanted to only admit that he had received the stolen firearm with six rounds of ammunition.State advocate Sandra Miller did not accept Kondja’s pleas on those three counts.The State would proceed to lead evidence in an endeavour to prove these charges, she informed the court.On the murder charge, the State wants to prove that Kondja had a direct intention to kill Mooren, she said.In his plea, Kondja admitted that he had fired two shots in the direction of Mooren, that he foresaw the possibility that she might die as a result of the shooting, and that he reconciled himself with that possibility.These admissions stop short of any unequivocal acknowledgement that he had a direct intention to kill Mooren.Miller however did accept the guilty pleas that Hamutenya offered on an additional three charges that Kondja alone faces.These are counts of illegal possession of a .22 revolver – the same one that was stolen from a car at Swakopmund the day before Mooren was shot – and six rounds of live ammunition for the gun, and
a charge of negligent handling of a firearm.On the first two charges, Kondja admitted that he illegally possessed the firearm, which is the gun with which Mooren was allegedly shot, and ammunition when he was arrested shortly after the robbery and fatal shooting.He further admitted that on the day before the robbery, he had handled a firearm negligently and fired off a shot at a liquor store at Swakopmund.BREAKTHROUGH Detective Warrant Officer George Xoagub, who led the investigation into the killing of Mooren, was the first State witness to testify in the trial.He told the court that he was notified at about 08h10 on August 13 2004 of the shooting that claimed Mooren’s life.He went to the scene where she was attacked and received information from an eyewitness about the clothing of a man who had been seen running away from the scene, he told the court.Xoagub said he immediately informed Police officers via radio to be on the lookout for anyone wearing clothing fitting that description, and asked that all exits out of the town should be closed off and taxis checked for possible suspects.Half an hour later he was informed that Kondja had been caught.He was still wearing a red cap – just like the fleeing suspect wore – and was found in possession of a .22 revolver, Xoagub said.The gun was still loaded with six live rounds of ammunition, as well as three spent cartridges, he said.Ballistic tests that were done later linked that gun to the slug that was retrieved from Mooren’s body during an autopsy, Xoagub added.When he questioned Kondja at the Swakopmund Police station that same morning, Kondja told him that he had shot Mooren and had taken her handbag, the detective also testified.Kondja also said he had then handed the handbag to Matti Kamati, who was waiting for him in a lane of trees behind the row of houses on the section of beach where Mooren was killed, Xoagub said.Kondja further told him that Shiwalo, who is a taxi driver, and a fourth person, known as ‘Makutsi’, had also been involved in the planning of the robbery, Xoagub continued.By the early afternoon of the same day, Kondja told him he was willing to make a confession, Xoagub said.He then arranged to have Kondja taken to Walvis Bay, where a statement was made before a Magistrate.That statement is not in dispute in the trial.Hamutenya attached a portion of it to Kondja’s plea explanation to set out his version of events.In the statement, Kondja related that he and three other men – named as Kamati Kamati, ‘Tjiwaro’ and ‘Makhutsi’ – were involved in the incident.”We came to town.We found a lady walking at by the sea.I came at her and took her handbag from her.From there she wanted to run away and I shot in the ground and she stood still,” he stated to the Magistrate.”There was another person who was jogging and she saw us and was coming towards us.The one whom I ordered to stand saw the other person who was jogging was coming for assistance and she tried running so I shot her twice on her body,” he stated.As it stands now, the confession counts as evidence only against Kondja.What is stated in the confession would only become evidence against Kamati and Shiwalo if Kondja repeats it in evidence in court.The only information he has about Kamati’s and Shiwalo’s alleged involvement in the incident is what Kondja had told him, Xoagub acknowledged in response to a question from Acting Judge Parker yesterday.The trial continues today.