Frances Obiefuleh murder trial: Norbert Maiksner told police he was the 'devil' after being arrested, court hears
A man on trial for murder told police he was the ‘devil’ after first being arrested, a court has heard.
Norbert Maiksner, 48 from Timsbury Crescent, Havant, is accused of murdering 45-year-old Frances Obiefuleh and one count of child neglect.
A trial at Portsmouth Crown Court is ongoing, although Maiksner is neither in the courtroom or appearing via video link, having refused to leave his prison cell.
Ms Obiefuleh’s body was found at an address in Havant on April 17, 2025, with a child also inside the home. Maiksner was found by a traffic officer earlier that day, walking along the side of the M40 near High Wycombe.
During today’s (March 18) proceedings, the court heard evidence from PC Jessica Howells of Thames Valley Police, who was called to the scene by the traffic officer after being told by Maiksner that he had killed his partner.
PC Howells was one of two officers that arrested the defendant on the hard shoulder of the motorway, and accompanied him on the drive back to Portsmouth. During this journey, she repeatedly asked if he was okay - while he talked about “not being important” and being the devil.
She said: “He [Maiksner] kept referring to himself as the devil. He said it a few times on the journey.
“He also made a comment about how he didn’t deserve to live, and that Norbert was no longer here. I remember we were on the M4 at that point.
“I remember a lot of conversations about him not being important, and not mattering anymore. Throughout the journey we were checking on him as he was not talking much, and had his eyes closed.”
The court heard how PC Howells made reference to this in her report, but that neither her nor her colleague’s bodycams were switched on at the time these comments were made.
Upon arriving at Portsmouth Police Station, Maiksner declined legal representation and was silent during questioning, at one point even falling asleep during a police interview.
He has not instructed his defence solicitors and not entered a plea, with Mr Justice Murray putting in a not guilty plea on his behalf. The trial is expected to last between two and three weeks.
Proceeding