Man jailed for murder and child harm after stabbing his pregnant girlfriend

A married man who fatally stabbed his pregnant girlfriend has been found guilty of killing her and harming her child.

Filmon Andmichaen, 31, killed Liwam Bereket, 26, who was 27 weeks pregnant, in woodland near Freeth Street, Ladywood, Birmingham, on August 1 last year.

Bereket, whose baby was stillborn despite an emergency cesarean section, was stabbed in the neck. The court heard her unborn baby was a “complication she did not want to accept”.

Earlier at Birmingham Crown Court, Andmichaen was sentenced to a minimum of 27 years in prison. Her family said that Ms. Kereket had a very beautiful soul.

Jurors deliberated for nearly three and a half hours before reaching a unanimous guilty verdict.

This was Andmichaen’s second trial after the first trial in March collapsed over issues surrounding child disposal charges.

The issues were later resolved by the Court of Appeals and remained in the indictment presented to jurors at the second trial, which began earlier this month.

The first hearing heard Andmichaen, of Haddon Road in Great Barr, dialed 999 an hour and a half after Ms Bereket was believed to have been stabbed. He told the call handler that he had “accidentally” killed his girlfriend and was trying to kill himself as well.

Prosecutor Sandip Patel KC told the jury that despite knowing Bereket’s “dangerous” situation, he wanted police officers to be sent to Bereket’s address before showing him where he was.

Ms. Bereket was found face down and bleeding from her neck in an area covered with overgrown bushes, where an emergency Caesarean section was performed to save the girl.

Mr Patel said that although his neck injury was serious, he would not die immediately and “could walk or run before collapsing”.

The hearing heard the woman showed some signs of life two hours after the stabbing.

Ms. Bereket’s bank cards and phone were found in a bag with her fingerprints on it in the trunk of Andmichaen’s car after her death.

“He took her phone to prevent her from seeking help because we knew timely medical attention could have saved her life,” Mr Patel said.

“Filmon Andmichaen made a chilling decision; he decided that the life growing inside his girlfriend was a complication he didn’t want to accept.

“He decided that his solution to this situation was permanent.”

Ms Bereket was reportedly enjoying her pregnancy but became upset when Andmichaen asked her to have an abortion.

Friends were concerned Andmichaen was verbally abusive and threatening, and a neighbor told police she saw Andmichaen punch her in the face months before the stabbing.

Andmichaen’s wife, who came to live with him from Uganda, told police she had no idea about the relationship and said their marriage was “good.” They got married in 2022 after meeting on Facebook in September 2021.

CCTV footage shows Andmichaen walking towards a nearby canal with a bag in his hand after the stabbing.

He was then seen walking towards his white Toyota Yaris without a bag, before turning around and heading towards the canal.

The knife used in the stabbing was not found. Mr Patel said Andmichaen may have been trying to get rid of the evidence.

He was also seen returning to the scene with his brother; His brother later told police he was worried after seeing Andmichaen in wet clothes.

He said he told officers to call 999 if he had committed a crime.

Andmichaen took the stand with an interpreter who translated the proceedings into Tigrinya, a language spoken in East Africa.

The judge, Mr Justice Choudhury, said Andmichaen had not shown any remorse for what he had done and had tried to blame Ms Bereket by saying she was the one who had threatened to stab herself.

He had also tried to deny that he was the father of her child and insisted on both a DNA test and an abortion.

“I think your intention at that moment could only have been to end her life and that of her unborn child,” the judge said.

“His efforts to get you to take responsibility for the child caused you to lash out in frustration.”

In a statement read to the court, Ms Bereket’s family said her death had left their lives “shattered” and “changed forever”.

“She wasn’t just a daughter and sister, she was a beautiful soul full of life, laughter and love. She bought joy to everyone around her and was kind-hearted and caring,” they added.

“Remember him not just as a victim, but as a person who loved and was loved.”