The prosecutor general is set to decide the fate of 42-year-old Erastus Heita, who stands accused of killing his girlfriend and mother of his children nearly two years ago in Windhoek’s Otjomuise residential area.
Heita is currently being charged with a count of murder read with the provisions of the Combating of Domestic Violence Act of 2003.
The charge emanates from the death of his live-in girlfriend and mother to his two children Maria Megameno Kamati (29).
Kamati, a mother of two, was found in the couple’s shared apartment in Otjomuise with a bullet to the head.
During his appearance in the Katutura Magistrate’s Court, the father of four was informed the police have concluded investigations into his case. “Police investigations in this matter are now complete. The state asks that the matter be forwarded to the prosecutor general for decision,” said state prosecutor Victoria Likius.
Consequently, Magistrate Atutala Shikalepo postponed the matter to 23 April to enable the prosecutor general to make a ruling.
During the previous court proceedings in November 2019, the prosecutor general forwarded Heita’s docket to the investigator with instructions that needed to be complied with in order for her to finally make a decision.
Heita, who is currently on a N$10 000 bail, was arrested in October 2017 after handing himself over to the police for the fatal shooting against Kamati.
During his formal bail hearing, Heita informed the court that Kamati’s death was ‘accidental’. In his defense, he accidentally shot her in the process of attempting to shoot an intruder who emerged from their bedroom wardrobe that early morning on 1 October 2017. Police state that Heita used his personal 9mm Makarov pistol to shoot her.
He has since denied guilt when he took a no guilty plea to the murder charge.
However, the investigating officer during her testimony stated that Kamati was not accidentally shot, and she was shot while in her sleep – and that the relationship between Kamati and Heita was violent and abusive.
mamakali@nepc.com.na