Dordabis murder suspect ‘admitted killing woman’, witness tells court

A man accused of the gruesome killing of a woman in the Dordabis area in December 2021 told a fellow detainee in police custody that he choked the woman and hit her with a stone, a witness testified in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.

The witness, Josef Hansen, told judge Eileen Rakow that murder accused Herold Uirab (36) recounted to him in December 2021, while they were both detained in police holding cells at Dordabis, south-east of Windhoek, that he murdered a woman and described how he did it.

“He told me that he has murdered someone,” Hansen said. “He told me that he has murdered Lydia, that I also knew very well.”

Uirab is being prosecuted on charges of murder, rape, violating a dead human body and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

He pleaded guilty to the counts of murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice at the start of his trial on Tuesday, but his pleas were not accepted by state advocate Maggy Shiyagaya-Lotto.

Uirab denied guilt on the charges of rape and violating a body when he pleaded.

The state is alleging that Uirab raped and murdered Lydia Garises (23) at farm Stinkwater in the Dordabis area on 11 or 12 December 2021.

Uirab is also accused of mutilating Garises’ body by making cuts to her private parts and abdomen and removing her uterus.

The state is further alleging that he tried to conceal or destroy evidence and frustrate a police investigation by washing and discarding the clothes he was wearing, and returning to the scene of the killing to remove a hat he had left there.

The alleged rape and murder of Garises and mutilation of her body took place after Uirab and Garises attended a wedding reception at Stinkwater during the evening of 11 December 2021, the state is also alleging.

Hansen testified he was in the police holding cells at Dordabis when Uirab, whom he described as a close friend, joined him in custody.

Hansen said Uirab told him he and Garises were at a wedding celebration when they went off together to the dark side of a river, where they had intercourse.

Uirab also said he and Garises later moved to the other side of the river, where he wanted to continue having intercourse with her, but she declined, Hansen said.

According to Uirab, he then grabbed Garises and choked her, and she fainted, Hansen testified.

He said Uirab told him he continued to have intercourse with Garises.

Uirab said when he realised Garises was still breathing after that, he took a stone and hit her on the head with it, before he left the scene, Hansen said.

The hat he was wearing fell off before he left the scene, and he left it behind.

Uirab also said he returned to the scene the next morning to fetch his hat, Hansen recounted.

Uirab is denying that he narrated the events to Hansen, defence lawyer Thomas Andima told the witness.

“The accused is stunned to hear what you narrated to the court,” Andima said. “He did not tell these things to you.”

To this, Hansen responded: “Am I insane to come and tell the court what I was not told about?” He repeated that Uirab told him about the incident.

Another state witness, Geoffrey Jansen, testified yesterday that he was also a guest at the wedding celebration.

The day after the wedding, Uirab told him he had harmed a woman and that he was not sure if she had been killed or was still alive, Jansen said.

When he and Uirab were at a water point two days later and saw police officers arriving, Uirab said to him that if the police find him “I will not see the sun again”, Jansen said.

After that, Uirab ran away, he said.

The trial is continuing.

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