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State seeks life imprisonment for IUM student killer

2021-04-21  Maria Sheya

State seeks life imprisonment for IUM student killer

The state is seeking life imprisonment for a 40-year-old man who was convicted for killing his student girlfriend and dumping her remains alongside the B1 road in January 2017.

Prosecutor Salomon Kanyemba submitted that the life imprisonment sentence befits the crimes that Victor Elia is convicted of. 

“He could have gotten away with murder should he have succeeded with obstructing the course of justice. Thus, we propose life imprisonment on the charge of murder, five years on a count robbery and three years for defeating the course of justice,” submitted Kanyemba. 

However, defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomunji strongly opposed the proposed sentence citing that it was too harsh. 

“The court should put into consideration that the accused Is a first-time offender and thus the court should not impose a life imprisonment sentence,” said Siyomunji. 

Earlier this month, High Court Judge Eileen Rakow convicted Elia on a charge of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

All charges are in relation with the death of his girlfriend Iyaloo Ndapandula Hainghumbi (25) between 16 and 17 January 2017.

It is alleged that Elia, who was in a three-year relationship with the deceased, received a text message from the deceased on the morning of 16 January 2017 informing him that she has a new boyfriend. 

This message was sent to Elia after the deceased spent the weekend of 13 to 15 January 2017 with the new boyfriend by the name of Paavo who came to visit her from the coast, it is stated. 

Although Paavo was investigated by the police as a potential witness, he was not indicted due to lack of evidence.

It is further stated that Elia then met up with the deceased during the period 16 and/or 17 January 2017 in Windhoek and killed her by kicking and/or beating her all over her body and head with unknown objects, whereafter he robbed her of a cellular phone.

Having killed the deceased, he dumped her body next to the city’s Western Bypass highway and stole her cellphone, handbag, jacket, and pair of shoes.

He then allegedly disposed of the stolen items and cleaned the vehicle with which he had transported the deceased’s body to the scene where it was later found, to remove traces of blood in an attempt to destroy or conceal evidence of the killing.

According to the post-mortem report, the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

It was also revealed that the victim’s blood stains found in Elia’s bus, indicating that the deceased was either killed or transported in the bus and phone records, all indicate his guilt. 

Furthermore, there is testimony of Elia’s fellow inmate that he called his brother after his arrest instructing him to burn his clothes.

Through the trial, Elia denied all the allegations against him and left it to the State to prove their case against him.

However, during his failed bail application hearing, he testified that he indeed met up with the deceased on the date in question, but he had no knowledge of what happened to her after that.

Elia is scheduled to be sentenced on 12 May. 

- mamakali@nepc.com.na


2021-04-21  Maria Sheya

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