Strzelecki killers found guilty

Two men who stood trial for the murder of an elderly couple from Swakopmund five years ago were found guilty in the Windhoek High Court yesterday.Fabianus Lazarus and Simon Shidute strangled Roswietha Strzelecki (79) to death during a house burglary in 2017, while her husband Siegfried Strzelecki (81) was assaulted.A charge of murder regarding Siegfried’s death was reduced to assault. The 81-year-old died of an aneurysm days after the attack.Lazarus and Shidute were also found guilty on a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating the course of justice.Although a third accused, Daniel Stephanus Nghilifa, actually strangled Roswietha, judge Christie Liebenberg said the other defendants made themselves guilty of her murder based on common purpose."The defendant [Lazarus] held her down in an attempt to silence her and made no attempt to stop Nghilifa as he watched her being strangled for two to three minutes," he said during sentencing.Based on Siegfried&#039;s post-mortem report, the judge determined that Lazarus and Shidute had no intention of killing him during the home invasion, due to the fact that he was only injured on his hands and arms and there were no signs of violence on sensitive parts of his body.Lack of evidenceBoth suspects were found not guilty on a charge of housebreaking, but were found guilty on a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances.Liebenberg explained that the men gained access to the Strzelecki residence through an open door and therefore did not have to physically &#039;break in&#039; to gain access to the house.Shidute was found guilty of theft, but Lazarus was acquitted of this charge due to a lack of evidence.Nghilifa escaped custody at the Swakopmund Police Station in February 2019 and is still at large. The men are expected back in court on 1 November for final arguments before sentencing.

Strzelecki killers found guilty

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-22

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Strzelecki killers found guilty

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-22

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