News / Local
Woman stabs friend 8 times after catching her being intimate with hubby
03 Apr 2012 at 07:56hrs | Views
A Cowdry Park woman who fatally stabbed her best friend eight times with a kitchen knife accusing her of snatching her husband was yesterday sentenced to 25 years in jail. On 10 July last year, Epinet Chikwara (37) sent a text message to Diana Ngorima informing her that she should forget about her husband and that she would only meet him in her dreams.
Ngorima went to Chikwara's house where on arrival she knocked on the bedroom window. Chikwara who was with Ngorima's husband on realising that they had been caught in a compromising position, dashed out of the house together with the husband. Ngorima followed her husband, forcibly took away his cellphone and sent a text message to Chikwara pretending that she had invited a pastor who was to assist in counselling the two of them.
When Chikwara got to Ngorima's house, she then pounced on her and stabbed her eight times on the upper part of her body. She was taken to hospital where she died the following day. Ngorima (27), of House Number 5770 Cowdray Park yesterday pleaded not guilty to murder, but was convicted of murder with actual intent by Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Maphios Cheda sitting with Mrs Isabelle Mashengele and Mr Patrick Hikwa.
The court found extenuating circumstances and sentenced her to an effective 25 years in jail. In passing sentence, Justice Cheda said although Ngorima had been provoked by her friend's behaviour of "stabbing her in the back" this did not warrant killing her. He said it was imperative to pass a deterrent sentence that should serve as a warning to other jilted lovers.
Justice Cheda noted that Ngorima's husband had explained to her that he was having an extra-marital affair because she was barren.
"The marriage was not registered despite the fact that you had been staying together for six years. Your actions were on the extreme as a life was lost all for the love of a man. Violence of any kind cannot be condoned by the courts," said the judge.
According to the post-mortem report produced in court as an exhibit, Chikwara had eight stab wounds. Ms Nonhlanhla Ndlovu appeared for the state while Mr Tanaka Muganyi, of Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners defended Ngorima pro deo.
Ngorima went to Chikwara's house where on arrival she knocked on the bedroom window. Chikwara who was with Ngorima's husband on realising that they had been caught in a compromising position, dashed out of the house together with the husband. Ngorima followed her husband, forcibly took away his cellphone and sent a text message to Chikwara pretending that she had invited a pastor who was to assist in counselling the two of them.
When Chikwara got to Ngorima's house, she then pounced on her and stabbed her eight times on the upper part of her body. She was taken to hospital where she died the following day. Ngorima (27), of House Number 5770 Cowdray Park yesterday pleaded not guilty to murder, but was convicted of murder with actual intent by Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Maphios Cheda sitting with Mrs Isabelle Mashengele and Mr Patrick Hikwa.
Justice Cheda noted that Ngorima's husband had explained to her that he was having an extra-marital affair because she was barren.
"The marriage was not registered despite the fact that you had been staying together for six years. Your actions were on the extreme as a life was lost all for the love of a man. Violence of any kind cannot be condoned by the courts," said the judge.
According to the post-mortem report produced in court as an exhibit, Chikwara had eight stab wounds. Ms Nonhlanhla Ndlovu appeared for the state while Mr Tanaka Muganyi, of Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners defended Ngorima pro deo.
Source - metro
