Silence from the dock in well murders trial

BOTH of the men accused of having murdered two people whose remains were found buried in a disused well at a Hardap region farm at the end of July 2009 are choosing to remain silent in their trial in the Windhoek High Court.

The defence lawyers representing double murder accused Raynoldt (‘Jackie’) Windstaan and Johannes Eichab informed Judge Naomi Shivute yesterday that both men do not want to testify in their own defence. Defence lawyers Titus Mbaeva, representing Windstaan, and Joshua Kaumbi, defending Eichab, said this to the judge after state advocate Erick Moyo closed the prosecution’s case against the two accused. With Windstaan (33) and Eichab (35) opting to remain silent in the face of the allegations against them, their trial was postponed to 11 May for the hearing of closing arguments from the prosecution and defence. The two men denied guilt on two counts of murder and a charge of defeating or obstructing the course of justice, or attempting to do so, when their trial began in November 2012. They are accused of having murdered two men, Klaas Titus (42) and John McNab (39), in the Mariental district during the weekend of 16 to 18 July 2005.