My life is over, cries knife murderer

THE High Court trial of former self-employed car dealer Johannes Amunyela, who was accused of murdering his girlfriend near Ondangwa in July 2004, ended yesterday with Amunyela sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment.

During the trial, Amunyela (37) denied murdering Aina Niita Shiimi (26), at Olukango, a village in the Ondangwa area, on July 22 2004. The conclusion came swiftly after Amunyela had given his testimony before Judge Louis Muller on Thursday.On Friday, Judge Muller heard arguments from defence counsel Lucia Hamutenya and State advocate Dominic Lisulo on the verdict, and yesterday morning Judge Muller convicted Amunyela of murder with direct intention to kill.Early yesterday afternoon, he sentenced Amunyela to a 30-year prison term.When he testified on Thursday, Amunyela told the Judge that he could remember stabbing Shiimi, an insurance company employee who was the mother of one of his five children and with whom he had been in a relationship for some eight years, five or six times with a knife.He claimed that he did this because Shiimi had stabbed him in his left leg as an argument between them spun out of control.Amunyela however also readily conceded that it was not necessary for him to have stabbed Shiimi.He stabbed her because he was angry and did not know what he was doing, he testified.A total of 23 stab wounds were found on Shiimi’s body after Amunyela had gone to the Ondangwa Police Station to report the incident and hand himself over to the Police.In his testimony, Amunyela did not claim that anyone but himself had been responsible for inflicting those wounds.Amunyela also told the Judge that he had pursued Shiimi after she got out of his car during an argument, that he tripped her up, and while she was sitting on the ground, having stabbed him in the leg, he took the knife that she had used and stabbed her in the neck.Amunyela further told the court that after the first stab, Shiimi stood up, and that he then stabbed her in the stomach, after which she fell to the ground.He added that he could see that Shiimi was dying when he drove away from the scene of the stabbing.During the trial, Amunyela maintained that the argument between him and Shiimi was caused by the discovery that he made when he found what he thought were herbs that could be connected to witchcraft in Shiimi’s underwear the evening before the incident and in his pillow case on the morning of the day of the stabbing.Judge Muller however also heard testimony – including from Amunyela’s elder sister and from a Police officer – that Amunyela had said after the stabbing that he had killed Shiimi because she had bankrupted him.In the end, Judge Muller rejected the reasons Amunyela gave for the stabbing.Following the conviction, Amunyela told the Judge that he felt sorry for his children and his mother, whom he supported, and that he also felt bad because it had not been his intention to kill Shiimi.”I feel very sorry, because this is the end of my life.I can’t do anything.Even if I am released from jail later on, I can’t do anything for myself.I will find that all my things are destroyed,” he said while testifying in mitigation of sentence.Amunyela’s indications of having remorse were not convincing, the Judge commented.Amunyela not only committed “a brutal and vicious murder” against an innocent and defenceless woman, but he also lied to the court throughout his trial, the Judge said.He added that the way that Amunyela stabbed Shiimi all over her body and then left her to die, if she was not already dead by the time he left the scene, was indicative of inhuman behaviour.”I can only hope (Amunyela) will one day, when he is released, be a useful member of society,” Judge Muller said before announcing the prison term to Amunyela.The conclusion came swiftly after Amunyela had given his testimony before Judge Louis Muller on Thursday.On Friday, Judge Muller heard arguments from defence counsel Lucia Hamutenya and State advocate Dominic Lisulo on the verdict, and yesterday morning Judge Muller convicted Amunyela of murder with direct intention to kill.Early yesterday afternoon, he sentenced Amunyela to a 30-year prison term.When he testified on Thursday, Amunyela told the Judge that he could remember stabbing Shiimi, an insurance company employee who was the mother of one of his five children and with whom he had been in a relationship for some eight years, five or six times with a knife.He claimed that he did this because Shiimi had stabbed him in his left leg as an argument between them spun out of control.Amunyela however also readily conceded that it was not necessary for him to have stabbed Shiimi.He stabbed her because he was angry and did not know what he was doing, he testified.A total of 23 stab wounds were found on Shiimi’s body after Amunyela had gone to the Ondangwa Police Station to report the incident and hand himself over to the Police.In his testimony, Amunyela did not claim that anyone but himself had been responsible for inflicting those wounds.Amunyela also told the Judge that he had pursued Shiimi after she got out of his car during an argument, that he tripped her up, and while she was sitting on the ground, having stabbed him in the leg, he took the knife that she had used and stabbed her in the neck.Amunyela further told the court that after the first stab, Shiimi stood up, and that he then stabbed her in the stomach, after which she fell to the ground.He added that he could see that Shiimi was dying when he drove away from the scene of the stabbing.During the trial, Amunyela maintained that the argument between him and Shiimi was caused by the discovery that he made when he found what he thought were herbs that could be connected to witchcraft in Shiimi’s underwear the evening before the incident and in his pillow case on the morning of the day of the stabbing.Judge Muller however also heard testimony – including from Amunyela’s elder sister and from a Police officer – that Amunyela had said after the stabbing that he had killed Shiimi because she had bankrupted him.In the end, Judge Muller rejected the reasons Amunyela gave for the stabbing.Following the conviction, Amunyela told the Judge that he felt sorry for his children and his mother, whom he supported, and that he also felt bad because it had not been his intention to kill Shiimi.”I feel very sorry, because this is the end of my life.I can’t do anything.Even if I am released from jail later on, I can’t do anything for myself.I will find that all my things are destroyed,” he said while testifying in mitigation of sentence.Amunyela’s indications of having remorse were not convincing, the Judge commented.Amunyela not only committed “a brutal and vicious murder” against an innocent and defenceless woman, but he also lied to the court throughout his trial, the Judge said.He added that the way that Amunyela stabbed Shiimi all over her body and then left her to die, if she was not already dead by the time he left the scene, was indicative of inhuman behaviour.”I can only hope (Amunyela) will one day, when he is released, be a useful member of society,” Judge Muller said before announcing the prison term to Amunyela.