Family shooter admits guilt

MICHAEL Endjala, the man arrested for shooting four members of his immediate family on October 20 2006, yesterday pleaded guilty to all four counts of attempted murder in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura.

Endjala (30) is accused of shooting his wife, Priscilla Endjala, in the chest, his wife’s sister, Dorothy Gatyehe, in the stomach, and their then eight-year-old son and 16-month-old daughter in the leg and stomach respectively at the family’s rented backyard flat in Khomasdal. From the start of the proceedings, Endjala’s defence attorney Sisa Namandje said that Endjala accepted full responsibility for his actions, and conceded that he had no justification for acting in the way he did.Endjala, Namandje said, was “profusely remorseful” over what had happened, and thus he pleaded for the court’s mercy in handing out judgement.Namandje painted a picture of his client as a dedicated and hardworking husband and father who on the night of the shooting had tremendous emotional pressure to deal with in the form of threats by his wife that she would leave their home and take away his children.As a result, according to his lawyer, Endjala did something he was not accustomed to – he decided to consume liquor that night “in an attempt to forget his troubles”.This combination of emotion and alcohol led to the unfortunate events of that night, Namandje argued, although Endjala acknowledged that he should have been able to handle the situation better.Namandje suggested to Senior Magistrate Sarel Jacobs that a sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine be imposed as Endjala had apologised not only to his four victims, but also to the court “as administrator of justice” and to the general public “who were hurt in hearing that a person would commit such an act”.Endjala was determined to turn over a new leaf, his lawyer said, and had proved this already while awaiting trial in the Windhoek Central Prison by enrolling as a student at the Polytechnic of Namibia, where he is about to start his second year as a distance student in Public Management.When called to the stand, Endjala’s wife Priscilla pleaded with the court to release her husband so that he could return to support his family financially.His incarceration, she said, had led to hardship as she was now forced to pay for her children’s schooling and her rent by doing laundry work and by cooking and selling food on the street in order to survive.The prosecution however cast doubt on Namandje’s claims that Endjala had always been a proud provider for his family, and called to the witness stand his sister-in-law Gatyehe to prove this point.Gatyehe recounted how she had accompanied her sister to Police stations on various occasions from 1995 to the date of the shooting, in order for Priscilla to lay charges of assault and domestic violence against her spouse.She also stated that it was untrue that Endjala provided for his family.She said at one point his wife had attempted to charge him for child maintenance.All these charges would later be withdrawn, as Endjala would make peace with her sister and give her money, Gatyehe testified.On one such occasion, Gatyehe said, Endjala had locked his wife and their three children out of the home and they were forced to stay with her father for the night.On other occasions, she charged, Priscilla had gone to the Police asking them to confiscate Endjala’s pistol, as he had threatened to shoot her.According to her, the Police said they could not do so because he had never actually pulled the gun on her.She was however unable to provide Namandje, who opposed her oral evidence, with dates when these alleged charges were laid or withdrawn.In his closing statement, State Prosecutor Bronwell Uirab asked Jacobs to take into account the seriousness of the charges against Endjala, as well as the prevalence of this sort of crime in Namibian society.”There is a need for the court to impose a sentence that sends a clear message to all would-be offenders.This was a very serious attack.Any of the four victims could have died,” Uirab said.He also disagreed with Namandje that Endjala should serve all four sentences simultaneously.”He acted four times.It’s not a question of one bullet hitting four persons, but four bullets hitting four persons,” he said.Jacobs adjourned the case until March 16, when he will deliver his verdict.From the start of the proceedings, Endjala’s defence attorney Sisa Namandje said that Endjala accepted full responsibility for his actions, and conceded that he had no justification for acting in the way he did.Endjala, Namandje said, was “profusely remorseful” over what had happened, and thus he pleaded for the court’s mercy in handing out judgement.Namandje painted a picture of his client as a dedicated and hardworking husband and father who on the night of the shooting had tremendous emotional pressure to deal with in the form of threats by his wife that she would leave their home and take away his children.As a result, according to his lawyer, Endjala did something he was not accustomed to – he decided to consume liquor that night “in an attempt to forget his troubles”.This combination of emotion and alcohol led to the unfortunate events of that night, Namandje argued, although Endjala acknowledged that he should have been able to handle the situation better.Namandje suggested to Senior Magistrate Sarel Jacobs that a sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine be imposed as Endjala had apologised not only to his four victims, but also to the court “as administrator of justice” and to the general public “who were hurt in hearing that a person would commit such an act”.Endjala was determined to turn over a new leaf, his lawyer said, and had proved this already while awaiting trial in the Windhoek Central Prison by enrolling as a student at the Polytechnic of Namibia, where he is about to start his second year as a distance student in Public Management.When called to the stand, Endjala’s wife Priscilla pleaded with the court to release her husband so that he could return to support his family financially.His incarceration, she said, had led to hardship as she was now forced to pay for her children’s schooling and her rent by doing laundry work and by cooking and selling food on the street in order to survive.The prosecution however cast doubt on Namandje’s claims that Endjala had always been a proud provider for his family, and called to the witness stand his sister-in-law Gatyehe to prove this point.Gatyehe recounted how she had accompanied her sister to Police stations on various occasions from 1995 to the date of the shooting, in order for Priscilla to lay charges of assault and domestic violence against her spouse.She also stated that it was untrue that Endjala provided for his family.She said at one point his wife had attempted to charge him for child maintenance.All these charges would later be withdrawn, as Endjala would make peace with her sister and give her money, Gatyehe testified.On one such occasion, Gatyehe said, Endjala had locked his wife and their three children out of the home and they were forced to stay with her father for the night.On other occasions, she charged, Priscilla had gone to the Police asking them to confiscate Endjala’s pistol, as he had threatened to shoot her.According to her, the Police said they could not do so because he had never actually pulled the gun on her.She was however unable to provide Namandje, who opposed her oral evidence, with dates when these alleged charges were laid or withdrawn.In his closing statement, State Prosecutor Bronwell Uirab asked Jacobs to take into account the seriousness of the charges against Endjala, as well as the prevalence of this sort of crime in Namibian society.”There is a need for the court to impose a sentence that sends a clear message to all would-be offenders.This was a very serious attack.Any of the four victims could have died,” Uirab said.He also disagreed with Namandje that Endjala should serve all four sentences simultaneously.”He acted four times.It’s not a question of one bullet hitting four persons, but four bullets hitting four persons,” he said.Jacobs adjourned the case until March 16, when he will deliver his verdict.