News / Local
Maid kills noisy baby
24 Feb 2015 at 19:36hrs | Views
A maid, who claims she was possessed by an evil spirit, heartlessly wrapped her employer's 10-month-old baby in a blanket and stashed it in a drawer saying the baby was crying so loudly it was disturbing her from watching television.
When the maid checked on the baby three hours later, he had died due to lack of oxygen.
Violet Moyo, 22, of Bulawayo's Cowdray Park suburb lied to neighbours that the baby fell off the bed when she discovered the results of her heartlessness.
She later confessed to police that she killed Ethan Mthabisi Phiri by putting him in a drawer.
She appeared before High Court judge Lawrence Kamocha facing murder charges today (24 February)
The prosecutor, Angeline Munyeriwa said Moyo fed the baby and put him to sleep on the fateful day.
She said the baby woke up and would not stop crying, resulting in Moyo wrapping him in a blanket and shoving him into a drawer.
Moyo allegedly went to the lounge and switched on the TV to watch a movie on loud volume to drown out the baby's cries.
After the movie had ended, Moyo discovered that the child was dead and rushed to neighbours telling them he had fallen off the bed.
In her warned and cautioned statement to the police, Moyo said an evil spirit had led her to kill the baby.
She said she tried to revive the bay whom she found with a white substance coming out of his nose but failed and decided to lie to the neighbours.
Moyo's lawyer, Prayer Muzvuzvu of Muzvuzvu and Mguni Law, told the court that the baby's death was an accident that happened because Moyo was trying to stop the baby from making noise that would make neighbours think she was abusing him.
The trial continues tomorrow at the High Court in Bulawayo.
The story evokes memories of Jolly Tumuhirwe the Uganda maid who was captured on film battering a little girl.
The horrific video sparked outrage worldwide and led to Tumuhirwe being called, "maid from hell," "Monster maid," "Satan's helper," "The devil's advocate," among other unsavoury names.
When the maid checked on the baby three hours later, he had died due to lack of oxygen.
Violet Moyo, 22, of Bulawayo's Cowdray Park suburb lied to neighbours that the baby fell off the bed when she discovered the results of her heartlessness.
She later confessed to police that she killed Ethan Mthabisi Phiri by putting him in a drawer.
She appeared before High Court judge Lawrence Kamocha facing murder charges today (24 February)
The prosecutor, Angeline Munyeriwa said Moyo fed the baby and put him to sleep on the fateful day.
She said the baby woke up and would not stop crying, resulting in Moyo wrapping him in a blanket and shoving him into a drawer.
After the movie had ended, Moyo discovered that the child was dead and rushed to neighbours telling them he had fallen off the bed.
In her warned and cautioned statement to the police, Moyo said an evil spirit had led her to kill the baby.
She said she tried to revive the bay whom she found with a white substance coming out of his nose but failed and decided to lie to the neighbours.
Moyo's lawyer, Prayer Muzvuzvu of Muzvuzvu and Mguni Law, told the court that the baby's death was an accident that happened because Moyo was trying to stop the baby from making noise that would make neighbours think she was abusing him.
The trial continues tomorrow at the High Court in Bulawayo.
The story evokes memories of Jolly Tumuhirwe the Uganda maid who was captured on film battering a little girl.
The horrific video sparked outrage worldwide and led to Tumuhirwe being called, "maid from hell," "Monster maid," "Satan's helper," "The devil's advocate," among other unsavoury names.
Source - Byo24News
