Windhoek
A man accused of bludgeoning his girlfriend to death at a dump site in Walvis Bay in 2012 asked High Court Judge Alfred Siboleka to convict him on a lesser charge of culpable homicide, instead of the more serious charge of murder.
Otto Angula, 39, told the court that he totally denied the contention of the State that he hit the deceased, 32-year-old Martha Nakale, three times with an iron bar.
Angula told the court during his plea that he wanted to plead guilty, but the judge entered a plea of not guilty after Angula told him he hit the deceased to force her to release a “strong hold she had on his genitals”.
It is alleged that Angula killed the deceased at the Walvis Bay dump site by hitting her repeatedly with a hammer, iron or other object on her head and body. She died at the scene due to bleeding of the brain as a result of the assault.
According to the indictment, Angula arrived at the workplace of Nakale during the early hours of Thursday morning, November 22, 2012, armed with a hammer and/or piece of iron. After he chased away the co-employees of the deceased, he force-marched her a distance away from her co-employees and started hitting her on the head and body numerous times before fleeing the scene.
During the trial, evidence was presented that Angula told the people at the site to move away if they did not want to be killed.
The court also heard that after Angula struck the deceased the first blow and before he pushed her face down to the ground, she begged him, ‘Please my love, do not kill me.’
Angula has denied the evidence of the witnesses and is sticking to his story that he only hit the deceased once when she called a friend, Aina, who had previously assaulted him to assist her.
He denied testimonies of the state witnesses that after the deceased fell down, he took a few paces and returned and delivered another two blows to the back of the deceased’s head.
The doctor who conducted the autopsy on the deceased however informed the court the deceased suffered three lacerations: one to the front of the head and two at the back of the skull consistent with the testimonies of the witnesses.
State Advocate Cliff Lutibezi asked the court to convict Angula of murder with direct intent.
He said there is no doubt Angula had direct intent to kill the deceased as he first struck her on the forehead and while she was lying face down in the sand returned and delivered two more blows to the back of her head.
According to Lutibezi, the evidence of the doctor that the blow was delivered with excessive force is a further indication Angula intended to kill the deceased.
Judge Siboleka indicated he would deliver judgement on April 22 at 11h30.