Toddlers killer’s death sentence upheld

THE Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a Solwezi man, who in a fit of rage, trampled to death, his toddlerdaughters after his wife allegedly told him: “You are not man enough.”
Donald Fumbelo on March 5, 2011, in Solwezi, murdered Mercy and Fulezya Fumbelo who were 10 months and two years respectively.
The Kitwe High Court had earlier convicted Fumbelo of two counts of murder and sentenced him to death but he appealed against the sentence. His argument is that he was not in the right state of mind when he murdered his daughters as he was under the influence of “spirits.”
Fumbelo’s lawyers further argued that their client was taunted by his wife’s sentiments when she told him that he was not “man enough” after confronting her on rumours that she was having an affair with another man.
But Judge Evans Hamaundu, sitting in Ndola last Friday, dismissed the argument, stating that the trial court was on firm ground when it convicted Fumbelo and sentenced him to death.
“You first grabbed your wife and hit her against the wall before you got your two daughters, one after the other, and hit them on the floor and later stamped on them. The children then died,” Mr Justice Hamaundu said.
According to the evidence in court, Fumbelo on the material night prepared a meal for his wife, Brenda Zimano, and their five children. Thereafter, the family retired to bed.
Three of the children slept in the living room, while Fumbelo and his wife shared the bedroom with their two younger children, Fulezya and Mercy.
While in the bedroom, Fumbelo recited a prayer and after that grabbed his wife and started squeezing her neck, while shouting: “God is annoyed.”
When Fulezya, who Ms Zimano was carrying in her arms, fell down, Fumbelo lifted his wife and hit her against the wall before throwing her on the fire which was in their bedroom.
Fumbelo then lifted his daughter Fulezya and hit her twice against the wall, thereafter went for Mercy, who he also hit against the wall.
The children died instantly.
Ms Zimano ran away from the house with three of the children that were sleeping in the living room and spent a night in a nearby church.
The following morning, she reported the matter to the Community Crime Prevention Unit and Fumbelo was apprehended.

(DailyMail)