Second false start for beach murder trial

A THIRD attempt to start with the trial of three men who are accused of murdering and robbing Swakopmund goldsmith Alexandra Mooren two years ago is set to be made in the High Court in Windhoek today.

The trial, in which suspects Naftalie Kondja (28), Matti Kamati (37) and Temus Natangwe Shiwalo (33) are facing counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft, failed to get out of the starting blocks yesterday for a second time this week. The late appointment of a defence counsel for Shiwalo on Monday prevented the trial from starting on schedule.With that, the case was adjourned until yesterday, when another unexpected development led to Acting Judge Collins Parker postponing it for another day until this morning.State advocate Sandra Miller informed the court yesterday that the State wanted to add an additional charge to the two counts that Kondja is facing alone, in addition to the three charges against him, Kamati and Shiwalo together.Miller said this was due to facts that emerged when she consulted with a State witness earlier yesterday morning.The amendment is to the theft charge, in which the three men are accused of having stolen a .22 revolver and a video camera out of a car at Swakopmund on August 12 2004.The charge was changed to include an allegation that 100 rounds of .22 ammunition were also stolen from the vehicle.The new charge added to the indictment is a count against Kondja alone, in which he is accused of having illegally possessed six rounds of .22 ammunition when he was arrested at Swakopmund on August 13 2004.His arrest took place after Mooren, a goldsmith who was working at a jeweller at Swakopmund, had been killed in an apparent armed robbery at about 07h45 that day.Mooren (44) died after she had been shot twice on the beach between Swakopmund’s jetty and the Mole beach area.She was attacked while walking to work along the beach.Having been shot, she was robbed of her handbag.The prosecution is alleging that the murder weapon – and six unused bullets – which are claimed to have been stolen out of a vehicle the day before, were found with Kondja when he was arrested.Kondja’s defence counsel, Lucia Hamutenya, did not object to the changes to the indictment.The late appointment of a defence counsel for Shiwalo on Monday prevented the trial from starting on schedule.With that, the case was adjourned until yesterday, when another unexpected development led to Acting Judge Collins Parker postponing it for another day until this morning.State advocate Sandra Miller informed the court yesterday that the State wanted to add an additional charge to the two counts that Kondja is facing alone, in addition to the three charges against him, Kamati and Shiwalo together.Miller said this was due to facts that emerged when she consulted with a State witness earlier yesterday morning.The amendment is to the theft charge, in which the three men are accused of having stolen a .22 revolver and a video camera out of a car at Swakopmund on August 12 2004.The charge was changed to include an allegation that 100 rounds of .22 ammunition were also stolen from the vehicle.The new charge added to the indictment is a count against Kondja alone, in which he is accused of having illegally possessed six rounds of .22 ammunition when he was arrested at Swakopmund on August 13 2004.His arrest took place after Mooren, a goldsmith who was working at a jeweller at Swakopmund, had been killed in an apparent armed robbery at about 07h45 that day.Mooren (44) died after she had been shot twice on the beach between Swakopmund’s jetty and the Mole beach area.She was attacked while walking to work along the beach.Having been shot, she was robbed of her handbag.The prosecution is alleging that the murder weapon – and six unused bullets – which are claimed to have been stolen out of a vehicle the day before, were found with Kondja when he was arrested.Kondja’s defence counsel, Lucia Hamutenya, did not object to the changes to the indictment.