Amber Lee Hughes Back In Court As Sentencing Arguments Resume In Murder Of Stepdaughter, 4

Convicted murderer and rapist Amber Lee Hughes is back in the Johannesburg High Court today for the continuation of pre-sentencing proceedings, more than two years after she drowned her four-year-old stepdaughter in a bathtub.

Hughes, 26, was found guilty in August 2025 of the premeditated murder and r*pe of Nada-Jane Challita, the daughter of her then-partner Elie Challita. The little girl’s body was discovered in a bathtub at the family home in Glenvista in January 2023 .

The court has previously heard how Hughes sent the child’s father a chilling text message on the day of the murder, reading: “You broke my heart; I’m going to burn yours. How could you do that to me?”.

Judge Richard Mkhabela ruled that Hughes’ actions were “clearly premeditated,” stating that she had “made the threat of burning Mr Challita’s heart and made good on that threat”.

According to evidence presented during the trial, Hughes r*ped the four-year-old by inserting an object into her pr**vate p**rts minutes to hours before her death. A pathologist confirmed a fresh wound on the child, and with Hughes being the only adult present, the court concluded she was responsible.

Hughes initially denied the rape charges but later admitted to the drowning, claiming she suffered from borderline personality disorder, though she acknowledged being fully aware of her actions .

Outside court during previous proceedings, Nada-Jane’s mother, Amy Johnson, expressed her enduring pain. “That child had a mother who truly tried her best to heal mentally so she could take care of her little one,” she said. “And her making that sacrifice of leaving her child to heal, only for that child to be taken away for selfish reasons, is absolutely heartbreaking. I will never forgive her”.

Nada-Jane’s father, Elie Challita, has described the family’s experience as one of “mixed anger and relief,” adding that no sentence will ever bring his daughter back. “The justice that I seek doesn’t exist in this world or in this lifetime,” he previously told reporters.

Hughes faces a possible life sentence for the premeditated murder conviction. The proceedings are expected to continue until later this month.

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