A MAN who stood trial for the murder of a young schoolgirl at Avuavu, South Guadalcanal in 2017 has been convicted of the offence this week at the High Court.
Christopher Lalo Kopeta was convicted after a trial on one count of murder of the 16-year-old schoolgirl, Elsie Maurisiantonga.
Justice Maelyn Bird in her judgment said through Kopeta’s own confession and admission together with the circumstantial evidence discussed, she was satisfied that Lalo caused the death of Elsie.
This was by tying a bush rope around her neck and suffocating her and by inflicting various wounds on her body causing loss of blood.
“It is noted that there is no direct evidence to the killing of the late Elsie Maurisiantonga,” Bird said in her judgment.
She added that the only evidence in relation to the killing comes from the defendant himself.
Bird said the first piece of evidence is from the accused’s Record of Interview (ROI) in 2017.
“Apart from that was the admission made by the defendant in court during cross-examination on 20 November 2020,” Bird further added.
In Kopeta’s record of interview, he told the police of his plan to kill someone at Bubuvua Village as a payback killing for the rape incident on his daughter.
Bird said the rape allegation involving Kopeta’s daughter is true and correct and that the perpetrators in that allegation had actually been charged and have been appearing in the High Court.
She said their case is still pending and is progressing slowing because one of the defendants had not been attending court and is under a warrant of arrest.
Bird said another piece of evidence which is of interest to the court is the existence of a lake around the area where the offending occurred.
She said prosecution witness two talked about a lake in his evidence that he and his two sisters planned to go and fish for tilapia.
“The defendant in his ROI had mentioned in his answers that he also went to Bubuvua on that fateful day.
“If he was not there, how would he have known that there was a lake in that area?
“He does not live in that area in order for him to have personal knowledge about the lake,” Bird further added in her judgment.
Bird said according to evidence presented in court, it was confirmed that it was raining that day.
“The deceased covered herself with a banana leaf and the defendant also covered himself.
She said Prosecution Witness two (PW2) had stated in evidence that he saw the defendant that day but did not recognize him as it was raining and Kopeta used a banana leaf to cover himself.
She also said that PW2 told the court that Kopeta was carrying a big knife when she saw him.
Bird said in questions and answers during the cross-examination, Kopeta admitted he tied a rope around the deceased’s head and pushed it down to her neck.
“The reason he gave when asked why he tied the deceased’s neck, was for her not to cry out and for John to have sexual intercourse with her.
“He also said that the deceased was lying down and struggling when the rope was tied around her neck.
Bird said the evidence about the rope is corroborated by the evidence of Prosecution Witness one (PW1) in court when she said she saw a rope around the deceased’s neck.
That was when she was with a group of people that found the deceased’s body three days after the incident.
Bird said the external autopsy report also confirmed among other things that the neck had a bush rope around it and that the cause of death was strangulation and bleeding from multiple wounds.
She also said Kopeta had disclosed his motive for the killing which he said his intention to kill started when he sent a message to the people who raped his daughter to pay compensation but they did not pay up.
Submissions as to the minimum term Kopeta will serve in jail before he can be considered for parole will be made in court next.
The maximum penalty for the offense of murder is life imprisonment.
By ASSUMPTA BUCHANAN
Newsroom, Honiara
