2017-07-25Staff Report 2 Roland Routh Windhoek-High Court Judge Naomi Shivute has been assigned to the trial of a bar owner from Katutura who is facing multiple charges including murder, attempted murder, arms and ammunitions charges and a charge of defeating or obstructing or attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice relating to a shooting incident in 2014. The incident ended in the death of a 21-year-old woman. The matter will resume on Thursday when Judge Shivute and the defense counsel, Jan Wessels together with the State counsel will determine trial dates. Sakarias Mathias, 57, is accused of killing Magdalena Fredricks when he shot her allegedly at point blank range at BSK Bar at Katutura Central Shops in a fit of jealousy on April 09, 2014. He is also facing a charge of attempted murder for allegedly firing shots at Patrick Hawala with the intent to murder him, and hitting him in the thigh. Alternatively, he allegedly wrongfully and unlawfully handled or discharged a firearm and did thereby negligently injure and endanger the life or limb of Hawala. With regard to the arms and ammunition charges, it is charged by the State that Mathias unlawfully and negligently pointed a firearm at David Neingo as well as one count of possession of a firearm [without] a licence and a count of possessing ammunition without a license. Mathias further faces one count of defeating or obstructing or attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice for, in an unknown manner, disposing of the firearm thereby frustrating with police investigations and prosecution as well as identifying the origin and owner of the firearm. According to the indictment, the deceased was at BSK Bar in the company of Hawala and Neingo when Mathias arrived and fired shots indiscriminately at the entrance of the bar and then aimed the firearm at the deceased and shot her in her abdomen. He then turned the firearm at Hawala and fired several shots at the fleeing Hawala and shot him in the thigh. He allegedly also pointed the firearm at Neingo who managed to run away unscathed, the indictment read. The accused then left the scene and the deceased was taken to hospital where she died hours later due to the gun shot injury sustained, the court heard. 2017-07-25Staff Report 2
