Mysterious Murder Resolved 12 Years Later After Suspect Confesses In Church

A man who has been on the run after killing his uncle in cold blood 12 years ago has been sentenced to 30 years in jail after confessing to the crime while seeking God’s forgiveness in church.

High Court judge Justice Esther Muremba, convicted Tichafa Vhondi for murdering his uncle 12 years ago. Said the judge:

The accused (Vhondi) might have acted remorsefully before his arrest and during investigations but during trial, he showed no remorse at all. He was determined to be acquitted. What worsens his case is that he was on the run for nine years before his arrest in 2020.

Vhondi said he showed his cooperation when he was making indications to the police.

However, prosecutors dismissed his submissions arguing that he was just bringing it up during mitigation.

Allegations were that sometime in January 2011, Vhondi went to Mt Darwin, where the late Daniel Michael Vhondi lived.

Vhondi and his family had relocated from Mt Darwin to Murehwa in 2003 when he was only 24.

The court heard that before Vhondi murdered his uncle, he called his sister-in-law, accusing Daniel of being a wizard and causing the death of many people within the family.

He said he was going to go after his uncle for causing a lot of problems in the family.

It was further alleged that Vhondi then went to Mt Darwin and stalked his uncle when he left for the cotton fields.

Daniel was in the company of his wife, Lydia Hamurove, who later proceeded to a nearby stream for laundry.

While washing the clothes at the stream, Lydia heard her husband screaming for help and rushed back to the fields.

When she arrived, she saw Daniel lying lifeless in a pool of blood. He was struck with a machete on the neck.

Lydia then alerted Daniel’s brother and went on to report the matter to the police.

Police investigated the matter but since no one had seen Vhondi committing the crime, there were no leads until 2020.

In 2020, Vhondi was heard by the public testifying in Harare that he killed his uncle 12 years ago and was looking for God’s forgiveness.

A congregant then informed the police leading to his arrest.

More: Pindula News