Burger murder trial to continue in June

THE murder trial of a former Windhoek vehicle dealership supervisor, Sean Burger, who last week admitted that he stabbed a female friend to death in the capital, has been postponed until next month.

Burger’s trial is set to continue before Acting Judge Kato van Niekerk in the High Court in Windhoek on June 17 and 18. The case was postponed on Tuesday after the Acting Judge had informed Burger’s defence counsel, Louis Botes, and Public Prosecutor Frieda Kishi that there were a number of matters that she wanted to have investigated further before the trial continued.Burger (37) last week offered a plea of guilty to a charge that he had murdered a friend – according to Burger himself she was a former girlfriend of his – in Windhoek on September 15 2002.However, after he had testified about the incident during which, by his own admission, he stabbed Theresia Viljoen (29) with steak knives from her own kitchen, Acting Judge Van Niekerk entered a plea of not guilty on the murder count that Burger faces.On Tuesday, Acting Judge Van Niekerk asked Dr Elizabeth Shangula, the State Pathologist who did a post-mortem examination on Viljoen’s body, to return to court again on June 18 in order to continue giving evidence on matters that the Acting Judge asked her to clarify then.These include where in Viljoen’s body the doctor found a broken-off knife tip that was handed to the court as an exhibit on Tuesday, and how the list of stab wounds that Dr Shangula had indicated in her post-mortem report corresponded to photographs that were taken of the injuries on Viljoen’s body during the autopsy.The Acting Judge added that she would also provide the State and defence counsel with a list of other matters that she would like to have investigated further before the case returned to court.Burger remains in custody.He has been in custody for almost 20 months.The case was postponed on Tuesday after the Acting Judge had informed Burger’s defence counsel, Louis Botes, and Public Prosecutor Frieda Kishi that there were a number of matters that she wanted to have investigated further before the trial continued.Burger (37) last week offered a plea of guilty to a charge that he had murdered a friend – according to Burger himself she was a former girlfriend of his – in Windhoek on September 15 2002.However, after he had testified about the incident during which, by his own admission, he stabbed Theresia Viljoen (29) with steak knives from her own kitchen, Acting Judge Van Niekerk entered a plea of not guilty on the murder count that Burger faces.On Tuesday, Acting Judge Van Niekerk asked Dr Elizabeth Shangula, the State Pathologist who did a post-mortem examination on Viljoen’s body, to return to court again on June 18 in order to continue giving evidence on matters that the Acting Judge asked her to clarify then.These include where in Viljoen’s body the doctor found a broken-off knife tip that was handed to the court as an exhibit on Tuesday, and how the list of stab wounds that Dr Shangula had indicated in her post-mortem report corresponded to photographs that were taken of the injuries on Viljoen’s body during the autopsy.The Acting Judge added that she would also provide the State and defence counsel with a list of other matters that she would like to have investigated further before the case returned to court.Burger remains in custody.He has been in custody for almost 20 months.