CHILLING CONFESSION: Ex-teacher Amber Lee Hughes admits to drowning lover’s 4-year-old daughter

Hughes

Johannesburg – A former preschool teacher, Amber Lee Hughes, has confessed to drowning her ex-boyfriend’s four-year-old daughter, Nada-Jane Chalita, in a bathtub at their Bedfordview apartment on January 23, 2023, following a domestic dispute.

The admission, made in the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday, marks a dramatic reversal from her previous not guilty plea in one of South Africa’s most disturbing child murder cases, EWN reported.

However, Hughes continues to deny charges of sexually assaulting the child before the murder.

The confession came after a last-minute change in Hughes’s legal team on July 18, 2025, which delayed the case’s verdict, originally expected last week.

According to The Citizen, Judge Richard Mkhabela expressed concern over the timing, saying, “It is the accused’s right to change her team, but in the interest of justice, this matter must be finalised expeditiously”.

The new legal team, led by Advocate Marius Bouwer, was granted seven days to prepare, leading to Thursday’s emotional court session where Hughes broke down in tears as her confession was read.

In her admission, Hughes stated, “I admit that I drowned the deceased, Nada Jane Therese Chalita, [on] 23 January 2023 by sitting on her, which had the result that she was submerged in the water”.

She further admitted to leaving the child in the bathtub with the cold water running after noticing she was unresponsive.

“I admit that I drowned the deceased, Nada Jane Therese Challita, [on] 23 January 2023 by sitting on her, which had the result that she was submerged in the water,” the admission stated, according to the report, citing  News24.

She further admitted to leaving the child in the bathtub with the cold water running after noticing she was unresponsive.

Hughes attributed her actions to relationship tensions, specifically citing the infidelity of the child’s father, Elie Chalita, as the trigger for the murder.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) detailed that Hughes began a romantic relationship with Chalita in 2021, moving into his Glenvista home with him and his daughter. Their cohabitation was marked by frequent altercations, during which Hughes allegedly threatened to harm the child. The prosecution also alleges that on at least one occasion when Chalita left Hughes alone with Nada-Jane, she sexually assaulted the child by inserting an unknown object into her private parts, a charge Hughes denies.

Following the drowning, Hughes described three failed suicide attempts, including cutting her wrists with a glass bottle and a knife, and attempting to hang herself but failing to find a suitable rope. She claimed to have suffered from borderline personality disorder at the time but acknowledged being cognisant during the incident. Hughes stated she initially intended to plead guilty to the murder but decided against it due to unspecified external factors.

The case, which has left the victim’s family seeking closure, has been postponed to August 7, 2025, to address arguments related to the contested rape charges.

The court will review Hughes’s admissions and proceed with the remaining legal proceedings in this tragic and high-profile case

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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