Gawaxab found guilty of stabbing woman to death

WINDHOEK, 20 SEP – A Windhoek resident on trial in the High Court for stabbing a woman he met at a bar in the Khomasdal residential area 14 times in August 2015, was on Thursday found guilty as charged.
The 37-year-old Elwin Gawaxab was found guilty on a charge of murder with direct intention to kill for the stabbing of Cathy Marlene Gatonye.
Gatonye, 40, originally from the central town of Otjiwarongo, had her chest sliced open during the stabbings and some of her internal organs were exposed when she was found on the night of 19 August 2015, before she died on 21 August 2015 in the Katutura State Hospital.
Furthermore, Gawaxab was found guilty on the second count of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm after he had assaulted a friend of the deceased person – Thalitha Patricia Kai-Gu Mungunda – on the same day, also with an intention to kill.
He was found guilty in a judgement handed down by High Court Judge Alfred Siboleka.
“The deceased person had suffered a total of 14 stab wounds on her head, face and chest. She also sustained a fracture on the skull and the stab wounds were inflicted with a piece of a broken bottle,” Siboleka said, adding that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Meanwhile, Gawaxab, through his privately-instructed defence lawyer Mbanga Siyomuinji, denied any involvement in the incident and still wants the police to find the real killer of the deceased.
Evidence presented during trial has it that Gatonye was in the company of three other female friends at a bar in Khomasdal, where they met Gawaxab, who apparently offered to pay for their drinks.
At one point, Gawaxab asked one of the four women with a car to drive him to an ATM machine where he withdrew money, and then they all drove back to the bar for more drinks.
When they left the bar, the women apparently cracked jokes with Gawaxab in the car, but he snapped at one point and started attacking and stabbing Gatonye indiscriminately.
When the driver eventually stopped the vehicle, two of the women fled the scene, and Gawaxab and Gatonye landed on the roadside, while the driver drove away to report the matter to the police.
Gawaxab, who has been free on bail, was on Thursday sent to prison upon conviction.
State Advocate Cliff Lutibezi is handling the prosecution’s case.
Gawaxab returns to court on 03 October 2018 for the hearing of the pre-sentencing evidence.
NAMPA