Roland Routh
The lawyers for American murder accused Marcus Thomas and Kevan Townsend this week issued blank denials to the testimony of chief inspector Felix Ndikoma on what he discovered during his investigation. Salomon Kanyemba, on behalf of Thomas, told the inspector during cross-examination that his client is denying that he smuggled in a silencer and two gun barrels in a “table leg”.
He further said his client denies a black notebook that had notes about silencers and makes of firearms, the name of his co-accused and the contact details of the parents of his alleged victim and their business. He flat-out accused the officer of having planted the items in his client’s room at the guesthouse he was staying in.
Kanyemba was cross-examining Ndikoma in the trial of Thomas and Townsend who are accused of the assassin-like murder of Andre Heckmair in Windhoek on 7 January 2011 in Gusinde Street in Eros.
The State is alleging that Thomas and Townsend travelled to Namibia with the express purpose of killing Heckmair because he was involved in a relationship with an ex-girlfriend of Thomas.
It is also alleged that Thomas paid US$10 000 for bail in respect of Townsend who was in custody on gun charges in New York to travel with him for that purpose and that they illegally imported two gun barrels and a silencer from Finland.
Thomas and Townsend are facing one count of murder, one count of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three counts of contravening the Ammunitions Act and one count of defeating or obstructing or attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice. The trial is continuing and the accused persons are in custody at the trial awaiting section at the Windhoek Correctional Facility. The State is represented by deputy prosecutor general Antonia Verhoef and Townsend by Mbanga Siyomunji.
-rrouth@nepc.com.na