BY ROMINAH FAKA
The case against the woman accused of inciting her husband to return and kill the deceased will return to court on July 25 for a plea.
The prosecutor updated the court on Friday July 11, stating that the disclosures had been served to the defense counsel last week.
The defense counsel requested a 14-day adjournment to review the evidence and obtain instructions for the plea.
The court granted the adjournment and extended the remand for the accused.
The incident allegedly occurred in the early hours of December 17, 2023, between 1 am and 2 am. Nelson Magi (the first accused), his wife Zilma Ben (the second accused), and another female were on their way back to Jackson Ridge after attending a party at Lau Valley.
They stopped on the main road next to Lau Valley SDA church, appearing drunk, loud, and arguing.
Opposite the church, a group of people was sitting under a tent. Magi turned to them and asked, “Who of you is strong?” When one person responded, Magi approached, grabbed a chair, and threw it at the person.
The deceased’s niece ran back to her house and woke up the deceased, who then went to the scene to separate Magi and the other person. As the deceased led Magi away, Magi assaulted him, causing him to fall backward. Magi then walked away towards his wife, Zilma Ben.
Ben shouted aggressively at her husband, saying, “Go back and kill the deceased,” while also throwing stones at the deceased’s house. Magi turned back and attacked the deceased in the rib/chest area with a piece of timber, causing the deceased to lose balance and fall unconscious.
The deceased was rushed to the National Referral Hospital (NRH) but was pronounced dead. Steward Tonowane acts for the crown, and Lazuaus Waroka represents Zilma Ben.
