Double murder suspect pleads not guilty

DOUBLE murder suspect Salmon Nakale (30) pleaded not guilty in the shooting deaths of two women at Mariental over the weekend.

Nakale entered the plea in the Mariental Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. It is alleged that Nakale, in a jealous rage, shot dead his 22-year-old girlfriend and mother of his child, Rebecca Katanga, and her 31-year-old sister, Lucia Erastus, at the town’s Ombilli informal settlement on Saturday afternoon. Katana died instantly of a shot to her chest, while Erastus died of three gunshot wounds in the Mariental State Hospital a few hours later. In his plea, Nakale claimed he had not pulled the trigger of the 9 mm pistol used in the crime, thus could not be held responsible for the deaths of the two women. He claimed the gun had gone off during a tussle over it between him and Rebecca Katanga. Nakale said the tussle broke out after Katanga allegedly pulled the firearm from his waistband. Nakale remains in Police custody and is set to return to court on June 10. luqman@namibian.com.na