A man accused of murdering his girlfriend by stabbing her 51 times with a knife denied guilt on two charges in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.
Lolo Kambwela (32) pleaded not guilty on charges of murder and defeating or obstructing the course of justice at the start of his trial.
Kambwela is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Nghimushima Haufiku (19), at Otjiwarongo on 13 February 2022.
The state is alleging that Kambwela stabbed Haufiku 51 times with a knife after an argument.
He is also accused of locking Haufiku’s body up in the shack where she was killed, before he left the scene, and of hiding or throwing away the knife with which Haufiku was stabbed.
Kambwela is denying that he caused Haufiku’s death, defence lawyer Kenneth Siambango told judge Claudia Claasen after Kambwela gave his pleas on the two charges.
He is admitting, though, that he and Haufiku had been involved in a romantic relationship, Siambango added.
A police officer, sergeant Lee Katjirumbu, told the court yesterday that he was summoned to an alleged murder scene in the DRC area of Otjiwarongo.
Katjirumbu said at the scene he was taken into a shack, where he found a woman lying on her back under a bed.
He said he saw possible bloodstains on the bed in the shack and on the floor, and saw what looked like stab injuries on the woman’s limbs.
A qualified paramedic, Paulus Ambunda, who also testified yesterday, told the court a police officer called him around 23h00 on 13 February 2022 and asked him to go to a scene where an assault had taken place.
At the scene, he found a person lying on her back under a bed, Ambunda said.
The person had multiple stab wounds on her body, and he did not see any obvious signs of life on her, Ambunda said.
He added that he declared the person dead after checking for signs of breathing, heartbeat and a pulse, all of which were absent.
Ambunda said he also observed that rigor mortis – a stiffening of the person’s joints and muscles after death – had set in.
Rigor mortis occurs about three to four hours after someone’s death, he added.
According to the state, Kambwela went to a police station to hand himself over during the night after Haufiku’s death.
He is being held in custody.
State advocate Anna Amukugo is prosecuting.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
