3 men to hang for murder

THE Lusaka High Court has sentenced to death by hanging three men from Chazanga Township after they were found guilty of the brutal murder of a 17 year old woman.

Supreme Court Judge Gregory Phiri sitting as high court judge sentenced Fredy Lungu, Shadreck Musonda and Aaron Kanyanga to death by hanging after finding them guilty of murdering Katongo of the same township.

The trio was charged with murder contrary to section 200 of the penal code of the laws of Zambia.

Facts were that on unknown dates but between February 23 and February 24, 2008 Lungu, Musonda and Kanyanga murdered Katongo at night when she was retuning from attending a funeral from within her neighborhood.

One of the prosecution witnesses Rosemary Kapamba who is the deceased’s aunt testified before the court that on February 22, 2008,
she was with Katongo and her two friends Loveness Banda and Eva before she left for the fields.

When she returned, she did not find them as they had gone to attend a funeral within the township.

The following day around 05:00 hours, Kapamba was waken up to the news that Katongo had been found dead near a Presbyterian church after which she and her husband rushed to the church located five meters away from home and found the dead body.

And Ms Banda told the court that on the material day, Katongo had approached her and Eva to accompany her to the funeral.

They stayed there until 22:00 hours after which she and Katongo decided to go back home.

Ms Banda testified that as they walked back home, two men ordered them to stop but they became scared and took to the heels.

When they looked back, they identified the two as Musonda and Kanyanga of the same Township. Ms Banda and Eva ran in a different direction while Katongo went a different direction but she managed to hide behind the hedge.

The following day Ms Banda went to check on Katongo and she was surprised to find her grandmother mourning that she had been found dead.
Ms Banda went to the scene where she learnt that her friend had been raped before she was murdered.

She said Katongo was found naked with her underpants down her legs.

Judge Phiri in passing judgment said after analysing the evidence before the court, he found each of the three accused persons guilty of murdering Katongo and convicted the trio.

He said the brutal murder was committed simply because Katongo aged 17 did not want to flirt with the first or any of the accused and they decided to force themselves on her and murdered her soon thereafter.

I do not see any extenuating circumstances that may warrant reduce of the ultimate sentence.

“I therefore sentence each one of them to death and direct that they shall be hanged by the neck until pronounced dead” said Judge Phiri.
[ Times of Zambia ]