Oamites artist’s two killers convicted

TWO men convicted of robbing and murdering painter and retired geologist Uwe Kopetzky in his home at the hamlet of Oamites in May 2002 will be sentenced in the High Court in Windhoek on Tuesday next week.

Judge Kato van Niekerk pronounced suspects Joseph Gerson Gariseb (25) and his uncle, Esegiel Gariseb (45), guilty on counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and three further charges of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft on Monday. Kopetzky (65) led a solitary existence at a smallholding in Oamites – a village between Windhoek and Rehoboth – where he had a small shop from which he sold food, drinks and basic household goods.On the morning of May 13 2002, Kopetzky was found dead and tied up on the bedroom floor of his house, which was in disarray.He had been battered to death, and had also been tortured, it later emerged.The house and the shop had been ransacked.In several places in the house, pools of blood were found where Kopetzky is believed to have been tortured with a variety of both blunt and sharp objects.An attempt had also been made to set him on fire, with burn marks found on his chest and one hand, and he had further been stabbed with a barbecue fork.The two suspects, who lived at the nearby farm Kransneus, were arrested on the same day that Kopetzky’s body was discovered.They had left not only fingerprints behind at the crime scene, but also tell-tale objects – primarily a hat belonging to the senior Gariseb, and cooking utensils that Gariseb Snr was well-known for making and selling in the area – that quickly put the Police on their trail.A large quantity of goods stolen from Kopetzky’s house and shop were also discovered in the two suspects’ rooms at farm Kransneus.At their trial, they admitted that they had been present at the scene of Kopetzky’s death on the night between May 12 and 13 2002, but each claimed that his co-accused had initiated the attack on Kopetzky.Both of the men said they had been unwilling witnesses to this, and only occasional participants in the assaults that led to Kopetzky’s death.Judge Van Niekerk rejected these claims on Monday.They had gone to Kopetzky’s farm with a plan to rob him, she found.In doing so, they had acted with a common purpose, she said.Bloody prints that had been made by shoes belonging to the younger Gariseb were found at all the places in the house where pools of Kopetzky’s blood lay, she noted.She had no doubt that the younger Gariseb had played a major role in the assaults on Kopetzky, she added.She also noted that the younger Gariseb had told the court that at some stage during the assault on Kopetzky, he went to Kopetzky’s kitchen and enjoyed a meal.The older Gariseb in turn subjected Kopetzky to acts of torture when he used one of his home-made barbecue forks to stab Kopetzky repeatedly – all in a bid to get him to reveal where the keys of a safe in his house were, Judge Van Niekerk found.Deputy Prosecutor-General Antonia Verhoef asked the court yesterday to sentence especially the younger Gariseb, who she said had played a leading role in the crimes, to a very lengthy term of imprisonment.His defence lawyer, Unanisa Hengari, told the court that his client had a tough, impoverished childhood.Eventually, however, Hengari conceded to the Judge that a life term would be an appropriate sentence for Gariseb.Gariseb Snr has become a converted Christian since his arrest, his counsel, Werner Boesak, told the court.Boesak also remarked that in some way society was to blame for the events that ended Kopetzky’s life.Judge Van Niekerk did not appear to be impressed by this remark.In all her years of experience in the law, she has never seen a scene like the one that was found in Kopetzky’s home, she remarked.The way the place had been turned upside down showed a total disrespect; it was shocking, she said.Kopetzky (65) led a solitary existence at a smallholding in Oamites – a village between Windhoek and Rehoboth – where he had a small shop from which he sold food, drinks and basic household goods.On the morning of May 13 2002, Kopetzky was found dead and tied up on the bedroom floor of his house, which was in disarray.He had been battered to death, and had also been tortured, it later emerged.The house and the shop had been ransacked.In several places in the house, pools of blood were found where Kopetzky is believed to have been tortured with a variety of both blunt and sharp objects.An attempt had also been made to set him on fire, with burn marks found on his chest and one hand, and he had further been stabbed with a barbecue fork.The two suspects, who lived at the nearby farm Kransneus, were arrested on the same day that Kopetzky’s body was discovered.They had left not only fingerprints behind at the crime scene, but also tell-tale objects – primarily a hat belonging to the senior Gariseb, and cooking utensils that Gariseb Snr was well-known for making and selling in the area – that quickly put the Police on their trail.A large quantity of goods stolen from Kopetzky’s house and shop were also discovered in the two suspects’ rooms at farm Kransneus.At their trial, they admitted that they had been present at the scene of Kopetzky’s death on the night between May 12 and 13 2002, but each claimed that his co-accused had initiated the attack on Kopetzky.Both of the men said they had been unwilling witnesses to this, and only occasional participants in the assaults that led to Kopetzky’s death.Judge Van Niekerk rejected these claims on Monday.They had gone to Kopetzky’s farm with a plan to rob him, she found.In doing so, they had acted with a common purpose, she said.Bloody prints that had been made by shoes belonging to the younger Gariseb were found at all the places in the house where pools of Kopetzky’s blood lay, she noted.She had no doubt that the younger Gariseb had played a major role in the assaults on Kopetzky, she added.She also noted that the younger Gariseb had told the court that at some stage during the assault on Kopetzky, he went to Kopetzky’s kitchen and enjoyed a meal.The older Gariseb in turn subjected Kopetzky to acts of torture when he used one of his home-made barbecue forks to stab Kopetzky repeatedly – all in a bid to get him to reveal where the keys of a safe in his house were, Judge Van Niekerk found.Deputy Prosecutor-General Antonia Verhoef asked the court yesterday to sentence especially the younger Gariseb, who she said had played a leading role in the crimes, to a very lengthy term of imprisonment.His defence lawyer, Unanisa Hengari, told the court that his client had a tough, impoverished childhood.Eventually, however, Hengari conceded to the Judge that a life term would be an appropriate sentence for Gariseb.Gariseb Snr has become a converted Christian since his arrest, his counsel, Werner Boesak, told the court.Boesak also remarked that in some way society was to blame for the events that ended Kopetzky’s life.Judge Van Niekerk did not appear to be impressed by this remark.In all her years of experience in the law, she has never seen a scene like the one that was found in Kopetzky’s home, she remarked.The way the place had been turned upside down showed a total disrespect; it was shocking, she said.