Windhoek
A man accused of stabbing his live-in girlfriend at least 27 times in front of their four-year-old son made a first pre-trial appearance in the High Court on Thursday.
It is alleged that Johny Ryno Diergaardt killed Tiffany Tanita Lewin on March 3, 2014, at the room he rented in Khomasdal’s Garnet Street.
According to the indictment, Lewin and her son arrived during the early evening hours to collect some property, which the accused earlier the same day removed from her handbag.
He then stabbed her at least 27 times with knives after which he fled the scene.
Newspaper reports at the time indicated that the four-year-old boy tried to intervene and managed to stab the accused on his upper thigh in an attempt to stop the accused from continuing to stab his mother.
Lewin died on the scene due to excessive blood loss.
The accused was arrested when he returned to his room later that night.
On Thursday, Deputy Prosecutor General Antonia Verhoef informed the court that she made disclosure to Diergaardt’s private lawyer Boris ‘The Mouth’ Isaacks and was waiting on the defence’s reply to the State’s pre-trial memorandum.
A lawyer standing in for Isaacks told the court that they would be ready by the next court appearance on July 23.
Diergaardt remains in custody.