A wicked nursery school teacher perpetrated a horrifying crime by sexually assaulting and killing her boyfriend’s four-year-old daughter before making a chilling last move of drowning her in a bathtub.
Amber Lee Hughes, aged 25, confessed to the murder of young Nada-Jane Chalita, driven by her unfounded suspicions of infidelity on the part of her partner. Elie, Nada-Jane’s father, had entrusted the child to Hughes’ care while he attended a job interview in Johannesburg on January 23, 2023. Hughes, consumed by jealousy when Elie didn’t bid her farewell, subjected the innocent child to a tragic fate by submerging her in the bathtub until she perished.
Initially denying the charges of murder, Hughes later changed her plea to guilty, acknowledging that she left Nada-Jane unresponsive in the tub with the water tap running. Testifying in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, Hughes admitted, “I confess to causing the drowning of the deceased, Nada Jane Therese Challita, on January 23, 2023, by sitting on her until she was submerged in water.”
During the trial, it emerged that Hughes had sent a message to Elie just before the heinous act, stating, “You broke my heart; I’m going to burn yours. How could you do that to me?” Post-mortem findings revealed that Nada-Jane had been sexually assaulted prior to her tragic death.
Claiming that her troubled upbringing and mental health challenges were contributing factors, Hughes expressed remorse for her actions during court proceedings, expressing a wish to undo the harm caused. However, Judge Richard Mkabela deemed Hughes’ actions as premeditated, highlighting her threatening messages before the murder as evidence of intent.
Hughes had entered into a relationship with Elie in 2021 and had moved in with him and Nada-Jane. The court learned of a tumultuous relationship marked by Hughes’ repeated threats against the child. Hughes was eventually convicted of premeditated murder and vaginal rape, offenses carrying life imprisonment as per South African law.
Elie, devastated by the loss of his daughter, expressed despair over the justice system’s delay in sentencing, emphasizing that no punishment could compensate for the tragedy. The victim’s family faced further disappointment as sentencing was postponed to February 16, 2026, prompting continued anguish and frustration.
