A jury in the Northern Territory Supreme Court is currently deliberating the case of Andrew Mungatopi, a 34-year-old man accused of murdering a Tiwi Islands sistergirl. It has been reported that during the incident, Mungatopi repeatedly urged bystanders to “call the police.”
Mungatopi stands trial for murder after the prosecution denied his plea of manslaughter earlier this week. The hearings are ongoing in Darwin. It is important to note that this article contains references to an Indigenous person who has passed away, with the family’s consent for the inclusion of her image.
The court has been presented with contrasting accounts regarding the events of the night when Mungatopi fatally stabbed his 37-year-old niece in the chest. The incident took place in October 2024 during a confrontation at a Malak apartment, where nearly a dozen family members were present.
While Mungatopi has pleaded not guilty to murder, he has admitted to the lesser charge of manslaughter, which the prosecution has rejected, prompting the current trial.
The term “sistergirl” is used by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals to refer to gender-diverse persons embodying a female spirit.
Mungatopi’s defense claims that while he acknowledges inflicting a fatal stab wound, he did not have the intention to kill or cause serious injury.
Witnesses have testified that an argument occurred between the sistergirl and Mungatopi’s partner, leading to a physical altercation. On Thursday, Mungatopi’s partner, Tanita Donald, testified that she had been on good terms with the sistergirl that evening. She characterized the sistergirl as a “very caring person” who often assisted her with her child.
According to Donald, Mungatopi became highly intoxicated after consuming two liters of rum with others and became upset when the sistergirl addressed her using her nickname, “Who Girl.” She recounted that Mungatopi quickly dashed outside following a brief exchange, after which she heard him crying out for help and urging someone to call the police.
Next door, Patricia Nundhirribala, an Aboriginal health practitioner, testified that she had been reading when she heard cries for help from the neighboring apartment between 7 PM and 8 PM. Upon arriving at the scene, she found Mungatopi in distress and began CPR. She described seeing the sistergirl slumped against Mungatopi, who was anxiously asking for an ambulance while holding her.
Nundhirribala expressed her shock, noting that the sistergirl often visited her to chat and was a lovely person.
During the trial, another witness recounted a “scuffle” between Mungatopi and the sistergirl, stating that he had swung an object at her multiple times before she collapsed. However, forensic pathologist Salona Roopan, who conducted the autopsy, confirmed that the cause of death was a single stab wound to the chest that impacted the heart and lung. Roopan elaborated that the injuries indicated a significant application of force, consistent with a sharp object penetrating the body. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged the difficulty in determining the precise force applied during the stabbing, citing various factors such as the knife’s sharpness and weight.
The trial is set to continue in Darwin on Monday.
