Family murder suspect set to deny all charges

WINDHOEK resident Angels Mikini, who is accused of murdering his wife and a cousin of his wife and attempting to murder the cousin’s wife in a shooting incident in Katutura, will plead not guilty to all charges against him, the High Court has been informed.

During a pre-trial hearing before Judge Louis Muller in the High Court in Windhoek on Thursday, Mikini (39) was told that his trial is set to start in the High Court between April 14 and May 14. In a formal pre-trial indication of what Mikini’s plea will be, defence lawyer Louis Karsten has informed the court that Mikini would be pleading not guilty to all four charges.These are two counts of murder and charges of attempted murder and assault.Mikini also pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and a count of attempted murder when he was first asked to give his plea to the charges in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura on June 27 last year.Mikini is accused of shooting dead his wife, Magdalena Maholland (34), and her cousin, John Robert Orlam (41), and of also shooting Orlam’s wife, Estelle Orlam, in the chest at the Mikini couple’s home in Isak Kazongari Street in Katutura on the evening of May 17 last year.In the indictment that Mikini is set to face, it is alleged that a quarrel had erupted between Mikini and his wife on the evening of the incident.During the argument he allegedly slapped his wife, it is charged in the assault count that he now faces.When Estelle Orlam tried to intervene, Mikini shot her in the chest, it is charged.Maholland then ran into a room where John Robert Orlam was sleeping, and Mikini followed and fired multiple shots at both his wife and Orlam, it is alleged.Both were struck and died on the scene.The prosecution alleges that Mikini fired five shots at John Robert Orlam and six shots at his wife.In his pre-trial indication of his plea, Mikini has stated that he is not aware of how many shots he fired at either of them.Mikini remains in Police custody until the start of the trial.In a formal pre-trial indication of what Mikini’s plea will be, defence lawyer Louis Karsten has informed the court that Mikini would be pleading not guilty to all four charges.These are two counts of murder and charges of attempted murder and assault.Mikini also pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and a count of attempted murder when he was first asked to give his plea to the charges in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court in Katutura on June 27 last year.Mikini is accused of shooting dead his wife, Magdalena Maholland (34), and her cousin, John Robert Orlam (41), and of also shooting Orlam’s wife, Estelle Orlam, in the chest at the Mikini couple’s home in Isak Kazongari Street in Katutura on the evening of May 17 last year.In the indictment that Mikini is set to face, it is alleged that a quarrel had erupted between Mikini and his wife on the evening of the incident.During the argument he allegedly slapped his wife, it is charged in the assault count that he now faces.When Estelle Orlam tried to intervene, Mikini shot her in the chest, it is charged.Maholland then ran into a room where John Robert Orlam was sleeping, and Mikini followed and fired multiple shots at both his wife and Orlam, it is alleged.Both were struck and died on the scene.The prosecution alleges that Mikini fired five shots at John Robert Orlam and six shots at his wife.In his pre-trial indication of his plea, Mikini has stated that he is not aware of how many shots he fired at either of them.Mikini remains in Police custody until the start of the trial.