Roland Routh
Windhoek
The uncle of murder-accused Jomo Petrus told High Court Judge Alfred Siboleka that his nephew confessed to murdering his girlfriend when he testified in the ongoing murder trial in the Windhoek High Court.
Petrus is facing a charge of murder for killing his girlfriend, 24-year-old Louise Ross Shimunu Alupe on November 10, 2014, at Dunes Independence Beach in Walvis Bay with a firearm he stole from his uncle, Jason Shali Kasheeta. He is facing a charge of theft of a firearm on that score.
It is alleged in the indictment that he lured Alupe to Independence Beach, Kuisebmond at Walvis Bay under the guise of fixing their relationship that she had broken off. Once there, he shot her with his uncle’s pistol before turning the weapon on himself, but he failed to kill himself and was found next to the deceased in a pool of blood.
After Petrus pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder, but guilty to a charge of theft of a firearm last week, Kasheeta, the owner of the gun used in the incident testified that he received a call from Petrus asking him to come to Independence Beach and bring a bottle of water with him. He said he drove there and upon arrival found Petrus lying on his stomach with his clothes full of blood. The witness further said he also observed the girlfriend of Petrus lying on her stomach, also covered in blood, with a bullet wound on her head.
Kasheeta, who told the court that Petrus was living in his house from where he went to school, said when he asked Petrus what happened, he was told that Petrus had shot his girlfriend with a gun.
“I then asked him if he owns a gun and he said no and told me he used my gun. I then asked him where he got it from and he informed me that he took it from my safe where I normally keep it. He, in fact, said he stole the gun from my bedroom and when I asked him where he got the key to my bedroom from, he said he used the kitchen door key which also opens my bedroom door, something I was unaware of,” Kasheeta told the court.
He continued: “I then asked him if the girlfriend was alive and he said no and then started crying, sobbing: ‘I’m sorry, father; I’m sorry, father for what I have done’.” According to Kasheeta, he then told Petrus he made a mistake and that he is going straight to the police. He then left the accused and the deceased on the beach and after calling a friend of his went to the police to report the matter. From there, they went back to the scene where the police arrested Petrus and found the gun next to the body of the deceased. The case continues and legal aid lawyer Mposikeng Dube represents Petrus while Advocate Salomon Kanyemba represents the State.
Petrus is currently free on bail of N$4,000 that he was granted in 2015.