Ernst Lichtenstrasser, the 64-year-old convicted of killing two senior officials at the Namibian Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT), has reportedly died at Windhoek Correctional Facility. The Namibian Correctional Service confirmed the death on Sunday, with Commissioner General Raphael Hamunyela stating that it is suspected Lichtenstrasser took his own life. A post-mortem examination is expected to confirm the exact cause.
Lichtenstrasser was handed two life sentences by the Windhoek High Court in April 2024 after being found guilty of the April 2019 murders of NIMT executive director Eckhart Mueller (72) and his deputy, Heimo Hellwig (60). The two were shot at the NIMT headquarters in Arandis, Erongo Region.
At the time of the killings, Lichtenstrasser, who had previously worked at NIMT in Tsumeb, was reportedly involved in ongoing disputes with the institute’s top management. During his trial, he denied all charges before Judge Christie Liebenberg. An appeal to the Supreme Court against his conviction and sentence, submitted by Lichtenstrasser, was dismissed in September 2024.
This is not the first instance of suicide attempts by Lichtenstrasser; he reportedly attempted to take his own life in prison in November 2023, following his conviction.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, and the official post-mortem results are awaited. The incident closes a grim chapter in one of Namibia’s most shocking criminal cases.
