Pre-sentencing in boyfriend killing case set for July

WINDHOEK, 29 MAY  – Pre-sentencing evidence in the case of a woman who was in 2017 found guilty of shooting and killing her 52-year-old former boyfriend in May 2011, will be heard in the Regional Court in Katutura in July this year.

The 32-year-old Anthea Arnold made another appearance before Regional Court Magistrate Ileni Velikoshi on Tuesday when her murder case was remanded until 19 July.

Tuesday’s postponement of the matter was effected as per an agreement reached between Arnold’s defence lawyer, Norman Tjombe and Public Prosecutor, Victoria Thompson.

The date for the submissions of the pre-sentencing was only decided upon on Tuesday after Arnold abandoned her intended appeal process against the conviction verdict in the Windhoek High Court on 12 April 2018.

She was on 25 October 2017 convicted on a charge of murder with direct intent to kill over the death of her former boyfriend, Michael Breder, in a judgement handed down by Velikoshi.

Arnold was convicted of shooting and killing Breder, a German national, while seated in a car in Windhoek’s Southern Industrial Area between the night of 14 May and the morning of 15 May 2011.

In his judgement, Velikoshi said Arnold had not only contradicted herself on several occasions, but was also evasive and extremely defensive during her trial.

“In my view, the accused has not impressed the court as a truthful witness. Her version of events right from the start appeared to be carefully rehearsed to deflect the court from making a finding as to her state of mind,” stated Velikoshi at the time.

Arnold, after the conviction and the withdrawal of her appeal process against the conviction verdict, confessed before court that she shot and killed Breder and wrote on a piece of paper that was found at the crime scene that she committed the offence because the deceased had allegedly infected her with an unknown disease.

Arnold remains in police custody at the Windhoek Central Correctional Facility until her next court appearance.
NAMPA