A 38-year-old man from Aranos in the Mariental District pleaded not guilty before Windhoek High Court Judge Dinnah Usiku to charges of murder, rape and assault as well as defeating or obstructing the course of justice. All charges were read with provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act.
Jeremias Nowaseb is accused of killing his 20-year-old girlfriend and mother to his infant child with 18 blows to the head with a stone, crushing her skull. The victim died on the scene due to blunt force injuries to the brain.
It is alleged by the State that during the night of 31 October 2020 and 1 November 2020, the accused and Christina Kooper, with whom he was in a domestic relationship, got into an argument because he heard rumours she had sexual intercourse with another man or men.
After they visited a shebeen at the settlement, they started arguing, and the accused slapped the victim in her face.
On their way home, the indictment reads, the accused raped the victim to ascertain whether the rumours were true or not. After raping her, the indictment states, the accused concluded the victim was indeed unfaithful to him, and he proceeded to beat her with a stone or stones on the head.
After killing the victim, he allegedly reported to the police that Kooper was missing – and he pointed them to a spot where he said he last saw her. Kooper’s decomposed body was found a few days later.
Nowaseb pleaded not guilty to the charges and said he acted in self-defence when he killed the victim. According to him, he and Kooper were throwing stones at each other during their argument, and she died as a result of being struck on the head. Nowaseb’s Legal Aid lawyer Eliaser Shikwa confirmed that the pleas are in accordance with his instructions.
Doctor Simasiku Kabandje, who conducted the autopsy on the victim, confirmed to the court that the cause of death was blunt impact injuries to the skull.
The matter continues today, with Nowaseb out on bail.
The State is represented by Advocate Ethel Ndlovu.
– rrouth@nepc.com.na