Youthful murderer to rot in jail

High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu recently sentenced to life without parole a 23-year-old serial robber and murderer for killing a Harare woman, Jean Chindinda, by stabbing her several times with a 15 centimetre knife in a botched mobile phone robbery.

The Glenview youth, Sinsamala Chinsi, however, has survived the death penalty, at least for now, until the enactment of a law which clarifies the actual circumstances under which the court can safely sentence to death convicted murderers.

It was proven beyond reasonable doubt that back in January, Chinsi stabbed Chindinda once in the chest and on the left wrist before robbing her of a Nokia 1616 phone which was strapped around her neck.

In pronouncing the sentence, Justice Bhunu noted that the courts were disabled in properly exercising their duty as the law relating to the imposition of the death penalty under aggravating circumstances is yet to be promulgated.

He said section 48(2) of the constitution does not state the terms of a murder committed under aggravating circumstances, thus leaving a vacuum.

He added that he hesitated to sentence a convicted murderer to death under a doubtful law as a person cannot lose his life under such circumstances.

He said Chinsi was an incorrigible serial robber who would have been sentenced to death under the old constitution which invariably provided for the execution of all murderers who committed murder during a robbery.

He ruled that Chinsi must be locked away for life without parole for his conduct and urged the powers that be to expedite the law regarding the death penalty.