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Home / Double murder accused referred to psychiatrist
Double murder accused referred to psychiatrist
2016-03-10Staff Report 2 Windhoek The man who allegedly murdered two women and burnt their bodies will go for mental observation. The accused, Lukas Nicodemus, 46, made his second appearance yesterday in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court facing two counts of murder as well as a charge of obstructing the course of justice related to the manner in which he tried to dispose of the corpses. His defence lawyer Milton Engelbrecht informed the court his application was in terms of section 77(1) of the Criminal Procedure Act and that Nicodemus should go for mental observation. “The application is based on the fact that during consultations I could not get a proper defence for us to raise, therefore the application is based on that,” stated Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht, who is representing Nicodemus under instructions of legal aid, said he informed the prosecutor on Tuesday about the application “and what I could gather is that he would not oppose such application,” he explained further. Magistrate Ilge Rheent granted the request. The matter was remanded to April 8 for the accused to undergo mental observation. Nicodemus was remanded in custody. He is accused of murdering two women.The bodies of the murdered women, Clemencia de Wee, 23, and Johanny Naruses, 29, were found burning at a dumpsite in Windhoek in January. They were positively identified by family members, Inspector Slogan Matheus from the Police Public Relations Department said at the time. When asked how he intends to plea to the charges, Nicodemus replied: “Not guilty.” Family members of the victims became very emotional when Nicodemus was brought into court in January and some could not hold back their tears. The double murder came to light when a security guard at the dumpsite in the vicinity of Pionierspark came across the smouldering remains of two people at around 06h30. Matheus said at the time that it was believed that not more than one person was involved in the murders. A black Golf GTI belonging to the suspect that reportedly had bloodstains in it was impounded after it was found abandoned at an undisclosed location in the capital. “It is suspected that the vehicle was the mode of transport used in the commission of the crime,” Matheus said then. The relationship between the suspect and the two deceased has not yet been established. However, it is suspected that the two women were in Nicodemus’s company before their deaths. It is understood that the police retrieved a SIM card from the crime scene, which – upon further investigation – led them to Nicodemus. 2016-03-10Staff Report 2
