WINDHOEK – The Gobabis resident who admitted that he killed his girlfriend and mother of his three children by stabbing her at least 16 times with a knife was yesterday convicted on the additional charge of assault by threat.
Jacob Hoxobeb admitted to stabbing his girlfriend because he suspected she had an affair with a taxi driver, but had denied that he threatened to chop her with an axe.
Windhoek High Court Judge Dinnah Usiku yesterday convicted him on the additional charge of assault by threat.
Hoxobeb denied that he tried to chop Anastancia Goagoses with an axe just mere minutes before he managed to kill her and pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault by threat.
State Advocate Ethel Ndlovu accepted the guilty plea and proceeded to call witnesses of the assault charge.
Judge Usiku said that the evidence adduced by the state showed that Hoxobeb indeed picked up an axe and went towards the deceased in a threatening manner. She narrated that one of the witnesses, an eleven year old girl, although young was able to recollect in detail what she saw, as well as what she heard. The girl, who may not be named, as she is still a minor, testified in detail about what she saw on December 05, 2016 at Kanaan Location in Gobabis when Hoxobeb killed the deceased. She told the court that she was very close to where Hoxobeb and the deceased was and saw him picking up the axe. She also narrated that she saw Hoxobeb stabbing the deceased in a frenzied manner. Judge Usiku further said that the evidence of the young girl was corroborated by the man in whose yard the incident occurred. Sebastian Gariseb testified that he saw the accused pick up the axe and he then intervened and took the axe from the accused and put it inside his house, Judge Usiku stated. She further said that Hoxobeb’s testimony was that he was angry at the time and that could be the reason why he was not able to properly observe as events unfolded. She said that his version that he did not see any of the state witnesses and his claim that the deceased did not enter the yard of Gariseb is clearly a lie because he was seen at the yard by both Gariseb and the young witness. “This court found that there were no inconsistencies in the state’s case and it was proven that threats of violence were made by the accused towards the deceased on December 05, 2016,” the judge said and continued: “These threats were made by means of an axe and it must have induced fear in the deceased that she would be assaulted. Accused had uttered words to the effect that he would hurt or injure the deceased and these threats culminated in the killing of the deceased within the same location not far away from where the threats had been made towards the deceased.”
In mitigation of sentence yesterday, Hoxobeb testified that he feels “very bad” about killing the deceased thereby depriving his children the care of a mother and a father as he is undeniably going to prison for a very long time. The trial continues today with submissions on the sentence to be delivered and Hoxobeb remains in
custody.