Boois found guilty of murdering one-year-old son

A Windhoek High Court on Tuesday convicted former police officer Vapeni Lucia Boois, 37, of murdering her one-year-old son, Amare Boois, by repeatedly stabbing him and of defeating the ends of justice by burying him in a shallow grave near Bethanie in January 2023.

“There is no lawful or accidental explanation for a stab wound that severed the liver of a one-year-old child,” High Court judge Philanda Christiaan ruled.

She said the State had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Boois had intentionally killed her young son.

Amare died from at least 15 stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen, inflicted with such force that his liver and jugular veins were ruptured.

“The deceased was an infant, entirely defenceless,” Christiaan stressed.

“Vapeni armed herself with a sharp object and inflicted heavy blows on vital parts of his little body repeatedly," she added.

The court ruled that the stab wounds to the toddler’s body were neither accidental nor inflicted in a moment of panic, but deliberate.

Boois' subsequent actions, including burying the child and burning items at the scene, demonstrated an intent to conceal the crime, the judge said.

"The jugular veins and liver are vital structures and penetration of these organs are at high risk to cause death,” the judge noted.

Boois appeared calm and expressionless as the judge recounted the evidence: the stab wounds inflicted on Amare, the shallow grave in which he was buried face-down and her own admissions to police in the hours following the killing.

Before she eventually denied any wrongdoing in court, Boois had previously told police: “I know why you are looking for me; I killed my baby."

Police also found a handwritten note in which Boois, a former police officer, said she had wanted to “send the child to a better place.”



Composure crumbles

The atmosphere shifted when judge Christiaan reached the issue of pre-sentencing proceedings.

The judge informed Boois that she would have to sit in, this time in the presence of Amare’s paternal family, who would be given an opportunity to address the court.

"I am done with this," she was heard saying in response.

Her composure cracked. Moments later, tears welled up as she informed the court she had “no interest” in hearing what Amare’s family had to say.

The matter was set to continue on Wednesday.



Trial records

In April, Christiaan ruled that Boois, who had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and a depressive disorder by a panel of mental health professionals, was fit to stand trial and could be held criminally responsible for her actions should she be found guilty.

However, her mental condition may be considered during sentencing if she is convicted, the judge said at the time.

During the trial, witnesses claimed that the fatal attack was triggered by the mother discovering – belatedly – that the baby’s father was a married man whose wife forgave him for the infidelity.

An emotional Ansua Hammerslaght, Amare’s paternal aunt, recounted the heartbreaking final weeks before the boy was taken from his grandmother’s care by Boois – only to be violently killed two months later.

“Amare had chubby cheeks and the most beautiful blue eyes. We loved him deeply, and he was dear to our hearts,” Hammerslaght said.

Amare passed away just 40 days after his first birthday. Born on 6 December 2021, he was murdered on 12 January 2023.

Hammerslaght also refuted Vapeni’s High Court statements, where she told the judge that she had felt unsupported and neglected by both her own family and that of her son’s father.

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