A 19-year-old man from Kwekwe, Midlands Province, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court for the brutal murder of his 41-year-old aunt, followed by the sexual violation of her corpse in a maize field where they were working.
Tapiwa Mereka attacked his aunt, Mary Mereka, with a hoe on January 27, 2023, at Plot Number 61, Maywood in Kwekwe while they were weeding the family field. He struck her multiple times on the head and above the right eye, killing her instantly.
After the attack, Tapiwa sexually assaulted her lifeless body, stole her undergarments, and fled the scene. He then went to Sebakwe River, where he disposed of the murder weapon, a hoe, into a nearby thicket.
Justice Munamato Mutevedzi of the Bulawayo High Court, sitting on circuit in Gweru, convicted Tapiwa of murder. In delivering the sentence, Justice Mutevedzi stated that the attack was both premeditated and sexually motivated. He said:
The field was a convenient and secluded place where they were just the two of them. The accused confessed to murdering the deceased, who was later found not wearing her undergarments.
Upon arrest, he led the police to the thicket where the hoe and the black undergarment were recovered.
The judge said that the gruesome murder was driven by an overwhelming and disturbing lust.
Tapiwa was represented by Samantha Chivivi from Hara Tafa Associates, while Talent Tadenyika represented the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
In court, Tadenyika said that Tapiwa initially struck his aunt on the back of the head with the blunt side of the hoe, then delivered additional blows to the left side of her head and her forehead.
The assault caused her to bleed profusely, and she died instantly. After committing the crime, Tapiwa fled the scene, leaving the body in the field.
The murder was discovered by a passerby, Winnie Murega, 67, who stumbled upon the lifeless body and promptly reported the incident to the police, leading to Tapiwa’s arrest.
More: Chronicle
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