Maier murder case ends in 45, 25-year prison sentences • Case finalised after nearly 10 years

High Court judge Herman January has imposed effective prison sentences of 45 years and 25 years on the two men found guilty of murdering tour guide Andi Maier and the attempted rape of his companion nearly 10 years ago during an armed robbery.

Walter Lwendo Lupalwezi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of Maier and 15 years for the attempted rape of Maier's girlfriend.

Ndozi Ndozi was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in Maier's murder.

The two men were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for robbery with aggravating circumstances and five years each for kidnapping.

Five years of the sentence on the robbery charge will be served concurrently with the murder sentence.



Common purpose

January found that, with the exception of the attempted rape by Lupalwezi, the men acted with a common purpose when they robbed and abducted Maier and his girlfriend and murdered Maier.

Maier had been camping in 2015 with his girlfriend in Mudumo National Park when the two men attacked them.

Maier died from a fatal stab wound inflicted by Lupalwezi.

The judge said during court proceedings that following their conviction earlier this year, a letter from Lupalwezi suggested that Ndozi, who was 21 years old at the time of the murder, was likely influenced by Lupalwezi during the crime.

In the handwritten letter, Lupalwezi pleaded with the judge to acquit Ndozi, arguing that Ndozi did not have a knife and that the crimes occurred due to Lupalwezi’s actions.

Despite Lupalwezi’s full acceptance of responsibility for the crime in the written document, January questioned Ndozi’s innocence based on their common purpose.