Keetmans killing spree suspect admits guilt

DOUBLE murder and rape suspect Lourensus Goliath yesterday admitted his responsibility for a spree of violence that claimed the lives of two people and left a third seriously wounded at a smallholding near Keetmanshoop early last year.

The 27-year-old Goliath’s trial started before Judge Gerhard Maritz in the High Court in Windhoek with Goliath pleading guilty on two counts of murder, a charge of rape, and a fourth charge of attempted murder. All the charges are related to a bloody, one-man rampage at Meyersrus, a smallholding close to Keetmanshoop, on February 18 last year.By the end of that day, two of the people living at the plot, 65-year-old Lukas Isaacks and the 51-year-old Magrietha Tiboth, had been beaten and stabbed to death, and a third person, Rudolf Jossob, had stared death in the face – he was stabbed and seriously injured.In a written plea explanation given to the court on his behalf yesterday, Goliath offered no explanation of his motive for killing his first victim at Meyersrus.However, according to this plea explanation, his crimes at the plot formed part of a chain of events in which one act of violence escalated into another as Goliath committed one bloody attack after the other in a futile attempt to hide his guilt on the previous offence.Goliath admitted that he killed Isaacks by beating him once on the head with a piece of iron and by stabbing him three times in the chest with a knife.”I knew that the stab wound to the heart could kill him and I further wish to add that I was not provoked, nor did I act in self-defence,” Goliath’s plea statement reads.He stated that he had also killed Tiboth by hitting her on her head with a piece of iron and stabbing her three times with a knife.”I knew and comprehended my actions as I wanted to kill the deceased, as I was afraid that she would inform the Police as to the rape committed by myself,” he stated.On the rape charge, Goliath admitted that he raped Tiboth twice while holding her at knifepoint at the plot that day.That was not the end of it.With Isaacks and Tiboth dead, Goliath attacked a third person at the smallholding.He admitted that he stabbed Jossob several times with a knife, and that his intention was to kill Jossob, “as I was afraid that he would inform the Police as to the crimes committed by myself at plot Meyersrus”, he stated in the plea explanation.Goliath had admitted his responsibility for the crimes shortly after the events as well, Judge Maritz heard in the wake of Goliath’s guilty pleas.Detective Inspector Izak Burger, a member of the Namibian Police stationed at Keetmanshoop, told the court that he accompanied Goliath to Meyersrus on February 24 last year so that the suspect could point out the crime scene to him.According to Burger, whom State advocate Trudi de Villiers called to testify, Goliath showed him where he first met Isaacks at an entrance gate to the yard of the house where Isaacks was staying.Goliath also showed him a nearby fireplace where he said Tiboth had given him some tea to drink, Burger added.He continued that Goliath next showed him the place in the house where Goliath said Isaacks gave him some tobacco – and where Goliath then attacked him with the piece of iron.Goliath told him that after the killing, he put on Isaacks’ shoes, Burger said.Goliath also showed him the places in a nearby riverbed where he said he had raped Tiboth at knifepoint, Burger told the court.In addition, Goliath pointed out a spot near the house, where he said he forced Tiboth to bury some of Isaacks’s spilled blood that he had made Tiboth clean out of the house, Burger said.At the second place where Goliath said he had raped Tiboth, he also told Burger that she had begged him not to kill her, the Inspector said.Still, he killed her, and also showed Burger where he had done that, Burger testified.The trial continues today.Goliath, who is being represented by defence lawyer Unanisa Hengari, is being kept in Police custody.All the charges are related to a bloody, one-man rampage at Meyersrus, a smallholding close to Keetmanshoop, on February 18 last year.By the end of that day, two of the people living at the plot, 65-year-old Lukas Isaacks and the 51-year-old Magrietha Tiboth, had been beaten and stabbed to death, and a third person, Rudolf Jossob, had stared death in the face – he was stabbed and seriously injured.In a written plea explanation given to the court on his behalf yesterday, Goliath offered no explanation of his motive for killing his first victim at Meyersrus.However, according to this plea explanation, his crimes at the plot formed part of a chain of events in which one act of violence escalated into another as Goliath committed one bloody attack after the other in a futile attempt to hide his guilt on the previous offence.Goliath admitted that he killed Isaacks by beating him once on the head with a piece of iron and by stabbing him three times in the chest with a knife.”I knew that the stab wound to the heart could kill him and I further wish to add that I was not provoked, nor did I act in self-defence,” Goliath’s plea statement reads.He stated that he had also killed Tiboth by hitting her on her head with a piece of iron and stabbing her three times with a knife.”I knew and comprehended my actions as I wanted to kill the deceased, as I was afraid that she would inform the Police as to the rape committed by myself,” he stated.On the rape charge, Goliath admitted that he raped Tiboth twice while holding her at knifepoint at the plot that day.That was not the end of it.With Isaacks and Tiboth dead, Goliath attacked a third person at the smallholding.He admitted that he stabbed Jossob several times with a knife, and that his intention was to kill Jossob, “as I was afraid that he would inform the Police as to the crimes committed by myself at plot Meyersrus”, he stated in the plea explanation.Goliath had admitted his responsibility for the crimes shortly after the events as well, Judge Maritz heard in the wake of Goliath’s guilty pleas.Detective Inspector Izak Burger, a member of the Namibian Police stationed at Keetmanshoop, told the court that he accompanied Goliath to Meyersrus on February 24 last year so that the suspect could point out the crime scene to him.According to Burger, whom State advocate Trudi de Villiers called to testify, Goliath showed him where he first met Isaacks at an entrance gate to the yard of the house where Isaacks was staying.Goliath also showed him a nearby fireplace where he said Tiboth had given him some tea to drink, Burger added.He continued that Goliath next showed him the place in the house where Goliath said Isaacks gave him some tobacco – and where Goliath then attacked him with the piece of iron.Goliath told him that after the killing, he put on Isaacks’ shoes, Burger said.Goliath also showed him the places in a nearby riverbed where he said he had raped Tiboth at knifepoint, Burger told the court.In addition, Goliath pointed out a spot near the house, where he said he forced Tiboth to bury some of Isaacks’s spilled blood that he had made Tiboth clean out of the house, Burger said.At the second place where Goliath said he had raped Tiboth, he also told Burger that she had begged him not to kill her, the Inspector said.Still, he killed her, and also showed Burger where he had done that, Burger testified.The trial continues today.Goliath, who is being represented by defence lawyer Unanisa Hengari, is being kept in Police custody.