A former preschool teacher pleaded for leniency during her sentencing hearing after she was convicted of raping and murdering her four-year-old stepdaughter.
According to a release from the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, 26-year-old Amber-Lee Hughes was convicted last August of the premeditated murder and rape of her stepdaughter and student, Nada-Jane Challita, on Jan. 23, 2023.
After initially pleading not guilty, Hughes later confessed to drowning the child during an emotional dispute with the child’s father over his infidelity.
She said her borderline personality disorder factored into her actions, but acknowledged she was fully aware of what she did and attempted suicide multiple times after the murder.
Hughes denied that she sexually assaulted the child, even though the child sustained vaginal injuries before the killing.
At her trial, a pathologist testified that there was a fresh wound on the child’s private area, indicating penetration by a small object, minutes to hours before the death.
The court ruled the testimony was credible and concluded that since Hughes was alone with the child at the time of her death, she must be responsible for the injuries.
The court proceedings for her sentencing were initially scheduled to start in October, but had been postponed twice, according to South African outlet The Citizen.
During her sentencing hearing, Hughes pleaded for a mitigated sentence. She recounted what led up to Nada’s death and how the actions of the child’s father drove her to commit the crime.
“At that moment, I thought that the only possible way out of everything was to take Nada’s life and my own. I felt like Nada wouldn’t have a future without me. She would be neglected, and she wouldn’t progress without me. I thought the only way to save Nada was by taking her life,” Hughes told the court, per Eyewitness News.
Hughes went on to say that she “thought that it would have been better if Nada was dead than to just be with her father.”
She said that before the murder, her relationship with Nada’s father, Elie Challita, had been marred by violent and emotional disputes that even escalated to the pair exchanging death threats.
She claimed that Elie had forced her to abort a three-month pregnancy because he allegedly believed she was unfit to be a mother.
“On that day, it felt like everything that had happened throughout our relationship had built up, and I snapped,” Hughes told the court.
Hughes also claimed that Nada was neglected by her father before she came into the picture and that she took care of the child as if she were her own.
“I regret what happened that day. I think about it nearly every day while I’ve been incarcerated. I miss her, and I know she didn’t deserve to go like that. At the time, I thought it was her best option. Now I know I should have left Elie a long time ago,” she said.
She added, “I’m not blaming Elie for what happened that day. I’m sorry to Nada. But deep down, I know Elie drove me to do what I did.”
Hughes told the court that from the time she was charged, she always wanted to plead guilty, but was advised not to by her legal team.
She also recalled early childhood trauma, longstanding mental health challenges, undergoing psychological therapy, and attempted suicides from the time she was a teenager.
