Murder accused Azaan Madisia yesterday profusely apologised to the family and parents of her victim Shannon Wasserfall at the end of her evidence in her defence.
“I know my actions hurt a lot of people, and I wish to apologise. To the family and parents of Shannon, I am truly, truly sorry. I know whatever I say or do cannot soothe the pain you feel. What I did was wrong, and my actions afterwards fill me with shame and embarrassment. It was never my intention. I lost my principles. If Shannon was here, she could have told you it was just an accident. I never thought it would go that far. I will never be able to look her parents in the eyes again,” said the 30-year-old in a faltering voice that was barely audible.
Before her apology, she told the court that burying the victim was something that was borne out of necessity.
She said she was in shock and could not think straight, and that she was afraid of being arrested and jailed if someone was to find Shannon’s body in her flat. Who would have believed that it was an accident? We were alone in the flat? she expressed. “It was a good day up to the point of the argument,” she said. According to her, she wanted only to ward off an attack on her by the victim.
“She pushed me, and I pushed her back. It was a human thing to unconsciously retaliate when someone pushes you,” she told the court.
However, she said she never foresaw the possibility that the victim could die because of the push.
“I just wanted her to stop – to stop things from escalating into an uncontrollable situation.”
On a question from her Legal Aid lawyer Albert Titus regarding why she did not call the police or an ambulance, she said she was in shock, in panic mode and wanted to distance herself from the incident – and she could only think of getting rid of the body.
“In hindsight, that would have been the right thing to do,” she said and continued that she was not thinking straight.
She further emphatically denied she and her brother and co-accused Steven Mulundu (22) conspired to kill the Wasserfall.
According to her, after she realised that Wasserfall was dead, she automatically called Mulundu.
“It was an instinct,” she said.
She said he advised her to call the police, but she begged him to help her remove the body from her flat.
At first, he refused – but later, he reluctantly agreed, Madisia explained.
On Monday, at the start of her evidence, she informed the court the contention that she killed Wasserfall to have Petrus Shoopala for herself is not true.
“It was just sex,” she told the court.
According to her, there was no commitment on the part of any of them, and their hook ups were just physical with no emotions at play.
She further said Shoopala told her he wanted to work on his relationship with Wasserfall and wanted to end things with her, but that she had a moment of weakness shortly before the demise of Wasserfall when she had relations with Shoopala.
She also admitted that she had a crush on Shoopala since their school days, but that nothing ever came of it until they reconnected in 2019.
Madisia is currently facing cross-examination from State advocate Henry Muhongo.
It is not clear whether Mulundu will testify in his defence when Muhongo is done with his cross-examination of Madisia.
He is represented by Legal Aid lawyer Tanya Klazen.
They remain in custody.
– rrouth@nepc.com.na
Photo: Madisia
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