State wants 37 years for Domingo
Kenya Kambowe
RUNDU
The State wants the Oshakati High Court to sentence Castro Domingo (35) between 35 and 37 years in jail for the 2018 murder of Cecilia Deborah Murotwa (26) at Mukwe.
Acting Judge Danie Small is expected to sentence Domingo on 8 December after he was convicted of murder with direct intent to kill, read with the provisions of the Combatting of Domestic Violence Act.
He was also found guilty of attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice, while he was exonerated of robbery for throwing away Murotwa’s phone to cover his tracks.
During the pre-sentencing proceedings which took place last week, the State - represented by deputy prosecutor-general Ruben Shileka - called on the court to sentence the accused over three decades for the murder, arguing that the offence is serious and the requested sentence appropriate.
Meanwhile, representing the accused, Leonard Tjiveze pleaded with the court to give his client a 25-year sentence, with five years to be suspended.
Shallow grave
Domingo was arrested after he strangled Murotwa, his girlfriend at the time, in February 2018 and then transporting her corpse 200 kilometres to Rundu, where he buried it in a shallow grave.
He initially confessed to the crime and took the police to where he buried the body. However, as time went by and the matter was postponed a number of times by the Rundu Magistrate’s Court, Domingo changed his tune and pleaded not guilty.
The case was transferred to the Oshakati High Court in August last year.
Prior to the transfer, Domingo had tasted freedom for a number of days after the matter was provisionally struck from the roll because the State was not ready to prosecute him.
He was rearrested after public outcry, which prompted the Office of the Prosecutor-General to intervene.
[email protected]
RUNDU
The State wants the Oshakati High Court to sentence Castro Domingo (35) between 35 and 37 years in jail for the 2018 murder of Cecilia Deborah Murotwa (26) at Mukwe.
Acting Judge Danie Small is expected to sentence Domingo on 8 December after he was convicted of murder with direct intent to kill, read with the provisions of the Combatting of Domestic Violence Act.
He was also found guilty of attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice, while he was exonerated of robbery for throwing away Murotwa’s phone to cover his tracks.
During the pre-sentencing proceedings which took place last week, the State - represented by deputy prosecutor-general Ruben Shileka - called on the court to sentence the accused over three decades for the murder, arguing that the offence is serious and the requested sentence appropriate.
Meanwhile, representing the accused, Leonard Tjiveze pleaded with the court to give his client a 25-year sentence, with five years to be suspended.
Shallow grave
Domingo was arrested after he strangled Murotwa, his girlfriend at the time, in February 2018 and then transporting her corpse 200 kilometres to Rundu, where he buried it in a shallow grave.
He initially confessed to the crime and took the police to where he buried the body. However, as time went by and the matter was postponed a number of times by the Rundu Magistrate’s Court, Domingo changed his tune and pleaded not guilty.
The case was transferred to the Oshakati High Court in August last year.
Prior to the transfer, Domingo had tasted freedom for a number of days after the matter was provisionally struck from the roll because the State was not ready to prosecute him.
He was rearrested after public outcry, which prompted the Office of the Prosecutor-General to intervene.
[email protected]
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