Lawyer, businessman and reserve cop Felix Kange has been committed to stand trial at the Waigani National Court to answer to murder allegations that he shot his wife last year.
The Waigani Committal Court on Tuesday made a ruling it had sufficient evidence that this was a case of criminal negligence by Kange.
In light of the Court's ruling, he exercised his rights to remain silent in response to the court finding of sufficient evidence to commit his case for trial.
He is expected to appear in the National Court on April 24 for listing.
Kange is from Maia village, Pangia in the Southern Highlands Province.
He was arrested and charged on allegations that on May 14, 2016, at Garden Hills in Port Moresby, he murdered Regina Morove by shooting her with a gun. She was 25 years old. He was charged with murder.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar, in his ruling today, said it is unfortunate that a young woman lost her life and some accidents in life can be prevented depending on the circumstances that someone is placed in.
“In this case, the evidence seems to suggest that we had a firearm that was loaded, cocked and ready to be used for whatever purpose. There is no evidence to suggest any imminent danger.
“Defendant walked into the room, pulled out dresser where he kept the gun. His evidence said a few days earlier, there was an attempted holdup of a neighbour’s car but the firearm was already loaded and cocked.
"According to the defendant, he picked up the firearm and his elbow accidently touched into the wall and his finger squeezed into the trigger and it fired at the back,” the magistrate said in court.
“The victim was shot in the facial and mouth area at home when she and her sister were putting their make up.
"The Court's assessment on evidence was that there was no imminent danger of those in the house being attacked so as to have the firearm cocked and ready to be used.
“The circumstance of case seems to support case of criminal negligence. Fact of the matter is he was in a bedroom and whether there was a real possibility of being attacked in your own bedroom to have a loaded firearm; here was no danger.
“Court’s view supports case of criminal negligence in part of evidence and rules that there is sufficient evidence to put the defendant to trial,” Magistrate Bidar added.
The court ordered that he remain in custody while awaiting his trial.