Walvis Bay man to admit murdering boy aged 5

A Walvis Bay resident plans to admit that he murdered his five-year-old stepson and then buried the boy’s body in a shallow grave in January 2023.

Murder accused Riddick Narib (32) intends to plead guilty to charges of murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice when his trial starts, according to a pretrial document filed at the Windhoek High Court.

Narib’s defence lawyer, Thomas Andima, confirmed this when Narib made a pretrial court appearance before judge Philanda Christiaan yesterday.

Andima also confirmed that Narib intends to deny guilt on charges of rape, kidnapping and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

The state is alleging that Narib murdered his wife’s five-year-old son, Dantali Wilfried Eiseb, at Walvis Bay on 6 January 2023.

It is alleged that at that stage Narib and the boy’s mother were separated, and that the boy’s mother had made a statement to the police in support of an intended application for a protection order against Narib a day before the boy was killed.

The state is alleging that Narib kidnapped the boy from a tuck shop at Walvis Bay on 6 January 2023, committed a sexual act with him, and murdered him by hitting him with a brick or other objects and stabbing him with a knife.

Having killed the boy, Narib allegedly buried his body in a shallow grave and got rid of his trousers, which had blood on them.

Narib is also accused of assaulting the boy’s mother on 18 September 2022 by punching her in the face.

Narib is being held in custody.

He has to appear in the High Court again tomorrow, when his case is expected to be assigned to a trial judge and a trial date is to be set.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.