A Hardap region resident who murdered his girlfriend by stabbing her with sheep shears committed a brutal and barbaric crime.
Judge Claudia Claasen said this during the killer’s sentencing in the Windhoek High Court on Friday.
She made this remark before she sentenced Shaun Tieties (39) to an effective prison term of 33 years.
Tieties admitted guilt on charges of murder, read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and attempting to obstruct the course of justice nearly five weeks ago.
He admitted that he killed his then girlfriend, Susanna Tierspoor (33), at a farm in the Aranos area on 30 September 2021 and that he also injured Tierspoor’s son (6), who clung to his mother while Tieties was stabbing her.
Tieties further admitted that he tried to frustrate or interfere with an investigation into Tierspoor’s death by throwing away the sheep shears he had used to carry out the fatal attack on her. He also threw away a bloodstained shirt he wore during the attack, Tieties admitted.
Tierspoor was defenceless against Tieties’ “barbaric attack”, Claasen commented during the sentencing.
She added that the murder was made more despicable by the fact it was committed by an intimate life partner, while Tierspoor’s two children saw the stabbing being carried out.
A medical doctor who did a post-mortem examination recorded 36 stab wounds on Tierspoor’s body, including injuries to her hands and forearms that showed she was trying to defend herself against Tieties’ attack, Claasen recounted during the sentencing.
Tieties informed the court in a plea explanation that he was “deeply angered” when Tierspoor informed him on the day of the fatal stabbing that she wanted to end their relationship, which had started in 2018.
According to Tieties, he travelled to the farm where Tierspoor was employed after she conveyed her wish to end their relationship to him. He said he launched his attack on her without a word of warning when he found her at the farm.
Tierspoor’s daughter, who was an eyewitness to the attack, told the court her mother was pleading with Tieties, who continued stabbing her and told her he was going to kill her that day, Claasen recounted.
The attack started in a kitchen where Tieties found Tierspoor and continued after she had collapsed on a veranda.
When Tierspoor’s son ran to his mother and lay down on her where she had collapsed, Tieties still continued to stab her.
Tierspoor’s death was “extremely brutal, violent and sadistic”, Claasen said.
She added that the killing of women by their life partners is “an ultimate act of betrayal of trust”.
“The court has to protect the citizens of the country and society at large against the scourge of violent crimes such as this,” Claasen said.
“It has to transmit a clear message that a horrid act such as this will not be tolerated.”
Although Tieties pleaded guilty and in his plea explanation said he was sorry about his crimes, he did not testify in mitigation of sentence and it was difficult to find that he had shown genuine remorse, Claasen commented.
She added that the evidence against him was so overwhelming that he had little choice but to admit guilt.
Tieties was arrested a day after the murder and was held in custody since then.
Legal aid lawyer Cliff Simataa represented him during his trial.
State advocate Maria Shilongo prosecuted.
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