A married man fatally stabbed his pregnant girlfriend because their baby was a 'complication he was unwilling to accept', a court has heard. Filmon Andmichaen, 31, denies murdering Liwam Bereket in woodland in Birmingham on 1 August last year. He also denies a charge of child destruction.
Ms Bereket was stabbed in the neck. Her baby was stillborn despite an emergency Caesarean section being carried out. She was found in bushes and may not have died immediately, jurors heard. Mr Andmichaen called 999 more than an hour after the stabbing, saying he had killed his girlfriend 'by mistake' and had also tried to kill himself, prosecutor Sandip Patel KC said.
He asked for crews to come to his address and he would show them where she was, despite knowing her condition was 'perilous and that time was of the essence'. Although the injury to Ms Bereket's neck was very serious, she would not have died immediately and may have been able to 'walk or run around before collapsing', he added.
The defendant, of Haddon Road in Great Barr, was seen on CCTV after the stabbing walking towards a nearby canal with a bag in his hand. He was then seen without the bag as he walked back to his car, before heading back towards the canal. Mr Patel said he may have been trying to get rid of evidence, and the knife used in the stabbing was never found.
Jurors heard Mr Andmichaen had previously told Ms Bereket to terminate the baby because he already had a wife and children. He had also been seen by neighbours abusing and punching her. His wife, who came to live with him from Uganda after they met on Facebook in 2021, had no idea about Ms Bereket and said their marriage had been 'good'.
Ms Bereket's bank cards and phone were found in a bag in the boot of Mr Andmichaen's car after the fatal stabbing, which Mr Patel alleged was to prevent her seeking help. 'It ended the life of a young, innocent woman and the unborn child she nourished inside her. The facts are as simple as they are gruesome,' he said.
