Windhoek
A man who was sentenced recently to 40 years imprisonment for murder committed suicide at about 22h40 on Wednesday last week.
Brian Rickerts, 37, was sentenced by Judge Christi Liebenberg to 40 years in prison for the fatal stabbing on February 7, 2014 of another man at a shebeen in the town’s Block E residential area, after he convicted Rickerts of murder with direct intent.
Inspector Slogan Matheus of the Namibian Police public relations division confirmed the suicide and said it happened at Katutura Hospital, where Rickerts was kept under guard by members of correctional services.
Rickerts’ next of kin have been informed of his death.
Rickerts, who was suffering from a contagious form of tuberculosis, appeared in court wearing a face mask during his sentencing.
During sentencing, Judge Liebenberg called Rickerts a person of bad character, a person who had no or little respect for life or limb and who learned nothing from the mistakes of the past.
According to the judge, Rickerts had shown no remorse for the crime he was convicted of . He further said Rickerts had a propensity to commit violent crimes, coupled with the use of dangerous weapons.