The ManicaPost
Abel Zhakata Senior Court Reporter
A SENIOR Mutare High Court judge has slapped a 20-year-old Chikanga man with a 35-year jail sentence for killing a taxi driver whom he shot in the head at point blank before dumping his body at a farm near Forbes Border Post.
Talent Michael Matambo of House Number 3136 was spared capital punishment because of his youthfulness.
In reading out the sentence Justice Hlekani Mwayera said the deceased Wellington Musewe lost his life because of greed. She noted that the crime was committed in aggravating circumstances and that the accused did not respect sanctity of human life when he pulled the trigger.
The State led by principal public prosecutor, Ms Jane Rose Matsikidze, had pressed for a death penalty on the basis that the crime was perpetrated intentionally in aggravating circumstances.
The court heard that in February last year the accused person who was armed with a rifle posed as a genuine client and hired the deceased who did not suspect anything.
However, on February 19 at around 7am, a resident who owns a small maize field at Maruni Farm near the Forbes Border Post went to fetch some water from a nearby stream.
He found the body of the taxi driver lying on the bank of the stream and quickly reported the matter to the police.
Detectives from the homicide department attended and made some crime scene investigations. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition. Some drag marks were seen from the road to where the body of the now deceased’s body was. A black jacket was recovered about 10 metres from where the body was.
As investigations widened, detectives gathered that Matambo, who had been arrested and convicted for unlawful entry and theft was found in possession of a blue Honda fit vehicle (AEB 5122) which was suspected to belong to the now deceased. The vehicle was being held at the police station.
A search was carried in the vehicle leading to the recovery of a 9mm spent cartridge. The front passenger seat was soaked with blood. Two days later Matambo was picked from Mutare Remand Prison.
The unsuspecting taxi driver charged the convict $3 for a trip to Road Motor Services.
Matambo got into the vehicle and occupied the back seat behind the driver’s seat and they drove to Railway Motor Services Mutare.
He then shot the cabman, drove to Maruni Farm and dumped the body there.
On February 22, Matambo led detectives to the scene of crime where he made positive indications.
The body of the deceased was positively identified by his father Charles Tapiwa Musewe.
