Panga killer sentenced today

Joel Petrus, who was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend for allegedly cheating on him, will be sentenced today. The 34-year-old Petrus fatally stabbed his girlfriend on 4 August 2012 out of jealousy and for allegedly cheating on him. He alleged that he found a message on the late Maria Erastus’ cellphone from another man written in a local vernacular, and which read: “My love, I’ll come at the end of the month.”Judge Alfred Siboleka earlier in his judgement had said the court was satisfied that Petrus’ intention to kill his girlfriend had been established beyond reasonable doubt and consequently found him guilty of murder with direct intent. The accused murdered 33-year-old Erastus at their home at Epako in Gobabis, in 2012. The accused and Erastus were in an intimate relationship and were living together.Two deep wounds which penetrated the lungs were found in the upper torso of the deceased.Defence counsel Boris Isaacks said although he was not suggesting that the court should condone his client’s actions, he argued that the message triggered the fatal action taken by his client.“This was the woman he was in love with. After reading the message he was under the impression that the deceased cheated on him,” the lawyer said. He added that something must have happened that sparked the killing.According to him, the accused was troubled by his actions because his client was not calm after the incident and the fact that he did not go back to the place where he committed the crime did not mean that he was insensitive.“Remorse was already evident as the accused that night could not sleep. The next morning, he travelled to see his uncle and informed him about what happened,” Isaacks said.State Advocate Jackson Kuutondokwa maintained that the aggravating factors far outweighed the accused mitigating circumstances. He argued that the accused committed cold-blooded murder in a domestic setting.“No sentence can compensate the family for the loss of their loved one. Something apparently triggered the murder and we hear it was cheating. Does it give license to kill?” he asked the court.He said the accused inflicted deep panga wounds on the deceased and wanted to know whether that was the price Erastus paid for allegedly cheating. “The murder was carried out in the most callous manner,” he further argued.In response to Petrus plea to be afforded the opportunity to look after his three children, Kuutondokwa told Judge Alfred Siboleka that the accused should have thought about the consequences of his actions before committing the heinous murder.FRED GOEIEMAN

Panga killer sentenced today

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-16

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Panga killer sentenced today

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Namibian Sun 2025-12-16

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