Silent killer keeps motive for his rampage hidden

THE motive that sent a Keetmanshoop district resident off on a murderous rampage early last year is set to remain hidden from the court where he is scheduled to be sentenced today.

Lourensus Goliath chose to remain silent and not give testimony in his trial in the High Court in Windhoek yesterday, a day after he pleaded guilty on two charges of murder, a charge of rape and a count of attempted murder. Judge Gerhard Maritz is set to sentence Goliath today.The Judge yesterday pronounced Goliath guilty on all four charges on the basis of the guilty plea.Goliath, aged 27, admitted in his plea that he had killed 65-year-old Lukas Isaacks and Magrietha Tiboth (51) at the plot Meyersrus about six kilometres outside Keetmanshoop on February 18 last year.Goliath did not explain what had prompted him to beat and stab Isaacks to death.He stated, however, that he killed Tiboth because he had raped her twice that day and he did not want her to report that to the Police.The court has heard that Goliath told a Police Inspector after his arrest that he had raped Tiboth after he had killed Isaacks – and after the two victims had welcomed him to their home by giving him tea and sharing tobacco with him.In his plea, Goliath also did not state what prompted him to rape Tiboth.On the charge that he attempted to murder Rudolf Jossob, also at Meyersrus on the same day, he had an explanation again.He stated that he wanted to kill Jossob because he was afraid that Jossob would inform the Police about the crimes that Goliath had committed at the plot.Jossob told the court yesterday that Isaacks and Tiboth were his parents-in-law.They knew Goliath, who used to visit them frequently, Jossob told the Judge.He also knew Goliath well, Jossob added: “That man was born before me, and he grew up before me.”Jossob said he was at Meyersrus on the day of the attack because he had gone there to look for his parents-in-law.He found no signs of life at their house, and while standing at a shed in their yard, saw Goliath approaching from the direction of a riverbed.The court heard on Monday that Goliath had raped and killed Tiboth in the riverbed.Goliath asked him for some water, and he gave Goliath some to drink, Jossob said.They then shared some hand-rolled cigarettes, and while smoking the second of these, Goliath stood cleaning his fingernails with a knife.”After I finished smoking, I gave it [the cigarette] to him.He then said ‘yes’, and he started immediately to stab me,” Jossob told the court.Jossob said he was stabbed seven times, with one stab wound in his stomach, one in the left side of his chest, and another in his ribs.As he tried to escape from Goliath, he managed to get hold of a spade to defend himself, Jossob said.Upon this, Goliath took out a second knife – a butcher’s knife with a curved blade about 18 centimetres long – and continued to pursue him, this time with a knife in both hands.After a scuffle, Jossob fled into the farmhouse and locked the door.Goliath, prowling around outside, said to him as he sat inside, bleeding: “You can sit and bleed, like a ****.”Goliath was using a crude word to refer to genitals, Jossob said.After Goliath eventually ran off, Jossob related, he walked to Keetmanshoop, some six km away, where he collapsed at the house of people who took him to hospital.It was only after he heard this testimony, as well as the address that his defence lawyer, Unanisa Hengari, made to the court on the sentence that is to be passed today, that Goliath broke his silence.From the dock, he said he wanted to ask the forgiveness of the relatives of the two murdered people, as well as Jossob’s forgiveness.”That’s all”, Goliath said, still saying nothing about what might have sparked his deeds at Meyersrus 20 months ago.Judge Gerhard Maritz is set to sentence Goliath today.The Judge yesterday pronounced Goliath guilty on all four charges on the basis of the guilty plea.Goliath, aged 27, admitted in his plea that he had killed 65-year-old Lukas Isaacks and Magrietha Tiboth (51) at the plot Meyersrus about six kilometres outside Keetmanshoop on February 18 last year.Goliath did not explain what had prompted him to beat and stab Isaacks to death.He stated, however, that he killed Tiboth because he had raped her twice that day and he did not want her to report that to the Police.The court has heard that Goliath told a Police Inspector after his arrest that he had raped Tiboth after he had killed Isaacks – and after the two victims had welcomed him to their home by giving him tea and sharing tobacco with him.In his plea, Goliath also did not state what prompted him to rape Tiboth.On the charge that he attempted to murder Rudolf Jossob, also at Meyersrus on the same day, he had an explanation again.He stated that he wanted to kill Jossob because he was afraid that Jossob would inform the Police about the crimes that Goliath had committed at the plot.Jossob told the court yesterday that Isaacks and Tiboth were his parents-in-law.They knew Goliath, who used to visit them frequently, Jossob told the Judge.He also knew Goliath well, Jossob added: “That man was born before me, and he grew up before me.”Jossob said he was at Meyersrus on the day of the attack because he had gone there to look for his parents-in-law.He found no signs of life at their house, and while standing at a shed in their yard, saw Goliath approaching from the direction of a riverbed.The court heard on Monday that Goliath had raped and killed Tiboth in the riverbed.Goliath asked him for some water, and he gave Goliath some to drink, Jossob said.They then shared some hand-rolled cigarettes, and while smoking the second of these, Goliath stood cleaning his fingernails with a knife.”After I finished smoking, I gave it [the cigarette] to him.He then said ‘yes’, and he started immediately to stab me,” Jossob told the court.Jossob said he was stabbed seven times, with one stab wound in his stomach, one in the left side of his chest, and another in his ribs.As he tried to escape from Goliath, he managed to get hold of a spade to defend himself, Jossob said.Upon this, Goliath took out a second knife – a butcher’s knife with a curved blade about 18 centimetres long – and continued to pursue him, this time with a knife in both hands.After a scuffle, Jossob fled into the farmhouse and locked the door.Goliath, prowling around outside, said to him as he sat inside, bleeding: “You can sit and bleed, like a ****.”Goliath was using a crude word to refer to genitals, Jossob said.After Goliath eventually ran off, Jossob related, he walked to Keetmanshoop, some six km away, where he collapsed at the house of people who took him to hospital.It was only after he heard this testimony, as well as the address that his defence lawyer, Unanisa Hengari, made to the court on the sentence that is to be passed today, that Goliath broke his silence.From the dock, he said he wanted to ask the forgiveness of the relatives of the two murdered people, as well as Jossob’s forgiveness.”That’s all”, Goliath said, still saying nothing about what might have sparked his deeds at Meyersrus 20 months ago.