THE State yesterday closed its case in the trial of Pius Mukandi, alias Jamba, who allegedly killed Citizens Coalition for Change member Moreblessing Ali in June last year.
High Court judge Justice Esther Muremba viewed the four-hour video of Mukandi allegedly leading detectives to the recovery of the weapons he used to dismember Ali’s body.
State witness Simbarashe Maruziva from the police Homicide Department was leading State evidence.
In the video, Mukandi, who is being represented by Garikayi Mhishi, told police officers during indications that he hit her on the cheek with a fist and she fell and he noticed after sometime that she was dead.
“I hit her on the cheek with a fist and she fell. I waited for sometime and saw that she was already dead. I then took her trousers and tied on her neck. I left her body some metres from there (while pointing) and went home to take a hoe and a knife and I then cut her into pieces. I was cutting her only on her joints for easy cutting,” Mukandi told police officers during indications.
“I cut both legs on joints and I put both legs in a sack and I carried them to a well near my mother’s plot, where I threw it. I then went back and put the torso and head and other parts and also placed it in another sack and I carried it and threw it in the well.”
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Mukandi told the court that he did this up to around 2am.
He told the police officers that he took her cellphone, removed the SIM card, threw it away and hid the phone under a rock next to the well where police retrieved it. Detectives later found the line in the grass nearby.
He told officers that he did not know the deceased before.
The video also showed Ali’s clothes being removed from the well and the knife Mukandi allegedly used to dismember her corpse was also retrieved from the well.
While leading evidence for the State, Maruziva told the court that from Chibhanguza Night Club to where Mukandi killed Ali, there is a distance of 6km.
Under cross-examination by Mukandi’s lawyer, Maruziva denied that the accused was made to rehearse his indications for a video on the second day.
Mhishi told Maruziva that his client was denying the offence and everything in the indications video was choreographed for the camera and the framed murder.
Maruziva denied that it was a choreographed event saying he went for the indications only once.
However, in the background of the video, a woman’s voice is heard saying: “Madzoka zvekare (you have returned again),” and Mhishi said this was an indication that they first visited the place with the accused and then returned for the recording of the video.
Maruziva, however, vehemently denied saying the woman was not part of their team.
After Maruziva’s testimony, the State closed its case and the defence indicated that it would proceed to the defence case.
Justice Muremba will hear Mukandi’s defence case today.
Mukandi is denying the murder allegations saying he was framed.
The State was being represented by Michael Mugabe and Terrence Mukuze.