Double murder accused maintains his innocence

Ernst Joseph Lichtenstrasser, accused of murdering NIMT CEO Eckhart Mueller and his deputy Heimo Hellwig in April, today maintained his innocence during his bail application in the Swakopmund Magistrates' Court. “It was not me,” Lichtenstrasser, who was under heavy police guard told the court. He, however, added that he was coerced and allegedly “threatened” by the police to admit to the murders. “I wanted to protect my wife and therefore confessed to the murder,” the 57-year-old said. The state is objecting the granting of bail and the release of the suspect. State prosecutor Antonia Verhoef argued the accused poses a flight risk if released on bail. It is also not in the public interest nor will it be in the interest of the administration of justice if the double murder accused is granted bail, the state added. "The allegations are very serious," she noted. Mueller and his deputy, Hellwig, were shot at close range when they reported for duty at the Arandis campus on Monday, 15 April. The bail hearing continues tomorrow.

ERWIN LEUSCHNER