Maria Amakali
Windhoek
Proceedings in the gruesome double murder case of two women whose bodies were set alight last year at the dumping site near Pionierspark in Windhoek have come to a standstill because of unfinished deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis.
Lukas Nicodemus, the prime suspect in the case that has caught the public eye, has been in police custody since his arrest in January 2016. The matter which was on the roll for the prosecutor general’s decision could not proceed, as the decision was not ready, given that a DNA report was needed for the prosecutor general to make a decision in one of the most horrific murders of 2016.
The letter from the Forensic Institute indicated that the DNA analysis will only be finalised and available in September.
Having denied guilt, Nicodemus faces three charges in relation to the murder of Clemencia de Wee, 23, and Johanny Naruses, 29. The prosecution is charging Nicodemus with two counts of murder and a count of obstructing the course of justice. Given that the offences are of a very serious nature and that there were fears Nicodemus would try to abscond, the court denied him bail during his first appearance.
Nicodemus was arrested because of a SIM card found at the crime scene. He is alleged to have killed the two women and of attempting to dispose pfe their remains at the Kupferberg dumping site. De Wee and Naruses’ still smouldering remains were discovered by a security guard on duty at the site. The remains were apparently burned in an attempt to conceal the horrendous crime.
Nicodemus’ black Golf GTI was later found by the police abandoned in an unnamed location in Windhoek. The car is believed to have been used in the transportation of the two corpses, as the police reportedly found bloodstains in the car. Although at the time of his arrest the police suspected that Nicodemus did not carry out the heinous crime alone, no further arrests have been made in connection with the murders.
Nicodemus is due to make his next appearance in court on October 20 after his case was postponed to allow time for the police investigation to be finalised.