A Man accused of murdering his girlfriend in a knife attack at Otjiwarongo three years ago was found guilty on two charges in the High Court yesterday.
From the evidence before her, she could not make any finding other than that murder accused Protasius Kuvirua desired the death of his then girlfriend, Auguste Jonas, when he repeatedly stabbed her with a knife, acting judge Marilize du Plessis said in a judgement delivered in the High Court at Windhoek Correctional Facility.
The evidence showed that Kuvirua (35) intended to kill Jonas (28) from the moment he picked up a knife in her room and then stabbed her, when he followed her into the room of a neighbour, where he continued to stab her, and when he finally followed her outside, where he tripped her and stabbed her one final time, Du Plessis said.
Du Plessis convicted Kuvirua on a charge of murder, committed with a direct intention to kill, and a count of assault by threat.
Kuvirua was accused of stabbing Jonas to death at her flat at Otjiwarongo on 19 March 2023.
Thirteen stab injuries were recorded on Jonas’ body during a post-mortem examination. Jonas died as a result of a stab wound to her heart, a medical doctor told the court during Kuvirua’s trial.
Kuvirua was also accused of committing the offence of assault by threat by chasing a man he had found in Jonas’ flat while wielding an open knife.
Du Plessis found Kuvirua guilty on that charge as well.
Kuvirua denied guilt on all of the charges during his trial.
When he testified in his own defence, he told the court Jonas invited him to visit her at her flat, and that he found her and another man, dressed only in his underwear, eating dinner when he arrived at the flat.
Kuvirua said Jonas took a knife and wanted to attack him.
He related that he managed to grab the knife from her and stabbed her once on her shoulder during a fight with her.
According to Kuvirua, Jonas ran out of her flat after he had stabbed her once.
When he left her room about 10 minutes later, he found her lying outside, he said.
Kuvirua also told the court that the man he had found in the flat with Jonas had perhaps stabbed her after the man and Jonas had both left her flat.
However, Du Plessis recounted that two neighbours of Jonas both told the court they had seen Kuvirua stabbing Jonas in the room of one of the neighbours, where she had fled to from her flat.
One of the neighbours also testified that he saw Kuvirua trip Jonas after she had left the witness’ room, and then stabbing her again after she had fallen down, Du Plessis recounted as well.
The version that Kuvirua placed before the court when he testified in his own defence “borders on the absurd”, Du Plessis commented, before rejecting his version that he stabbed Jonas only once in the shoulder.
Kuvirua was free on bail during his trial, but his bail was cancelled after he was found guilty. He has to return to court on 18 September for a presentence hearing.
Defence lawyer Milton Engelbrecht is representing Kuvirua.
The state is represented by Maggy Shiyagaya-Lotto.
