Five murder suspects deny killing professional hunter

THE main suspect was absent from the dock when the trial of five men accused of having been involved in the fatal shooting of professional hunter Daantjie van Vuuren in the Outjo area in December 2006 got going in the High Court in Windhoek last week.

The man accused of firing the shot that killed Van Vuuren in the early morning hours of December 7 2006, Immanuel Isako, was not in court and will not be present either during the trial of his co-accused before Judge Louis Muller. That is because Isako died at the age of 35 on May 21 – four months before the start of his trial and after he had spent a year and a half in Police custody.The trial of Isako’s co-accused – Willem Peter (38), Gert Nuxabeb (25), Jafet Nuxabeb (21), John Khamuxab (20) and Johannes Heiki (67) – has started before Judge Muller with all of them pleading not guilty to eight charges.The five men face counts of murder, stock theft, theft, theft of a motor vehicle, defeating the course of justice, altering, mutilating or cancelling a registered livestock brand, possession of a firearm without a licence and illegal possession of ammunition.It is alleged that during the night of December 6 to 7 2006 Isako, Peter, the two Nuxabebs and Khamuxab were driving on the main road between Outjo and Kamanjab when Isako shot a heifer on a farm next to the road. Peter was allegedly driving Isako’s bakkie.After the animal had been shot, the two Nuxabebs and Khamuxab helped Isako load it ontâ„¢o the bakkie, it is charged. The party drove off with the stolen heifer, but then Isako’s bakkie broke down.Van Vuuren found them next to the road, it is alleged. A quarrel broke out between him and Isako about what was on the back of the bakkie, and Isako then shot Van Vuuren with a .308 hunting rifle, it is charged in the indictment against the five remaining accused.After Van Vuuren had been shot, he was dragged from the road into the grass next to the road and was left there. Isako got into Van Vuuren’s car and drove off with it, later returning to the scene where his car stood to help his co-accused to get it started, it is alleged.He then drove off with Van Vuuren’s bakkie again, abandoning the vehicle when it ran out of fuel. Isako stole a .223 rifle, ammunition and compact discs from the bakkie when he abandoned it, the prosecution is also charging.Isako and the rest of the party drove to farm Elandsputz between Outjo and Kamanjab, where he lived, and slaughtered the stolen heifer there, it is alleged.Heiki then entered the picture when he allegedly helped them hide the alleged murder weapon and the items stolen from Van Vuuren in the veld.Outjo medical doctor Gerhard Burger testified on Friday that Van Vuuren (43) died as a result of a gunshot wound through his pelvis.Van Vuuren could have lived for ten to at the most twenty minutes after being shot, Dr Burger said.He told the Judge that he also found several other injuries on Van Vuuren’s body. These included lacerations on Van Vuuren’s head and several abrasion wounds around his left elbow, on the inside of his left wrist and on his right shin.Also on Friday, farmer Günther Heimstädt testified that Van Vuuren had been employed by him for three years as a professional hunter. Heimstädt said when he last saw Van Vuuren on the evening before his death, Van Vuuren was in a fine physical condition and had no wounds on him.Van Vuuren left Heimstädt’s farm, Holstein, which is situated next to farm Elandsputz between Outjo and Kamanjab, around midnight because he wanted to fetch a firearm, which was supposed to be used in a planned elephant hunt the next day, the court was told.Peter, Khamuxab and the two Nuxabebs are admitting that they were present at the scene of the shooting, it has emerged from instructions that their defence lawyer, Boris Isaacks, has been putting to witnesses so far.According to Isaacks his instructions are that Isako shot Van Vuuren on the tar road. Van Vuuren fell to his knees on the road when he was shot, and Isako then dragged him away from the road, Isaacks said his instructions were.The trial continues today.