A Bulawayo man accused of murdering an elderly white man attempted to commit suicide while in police cells at Hillside Police Station.
The suicide attempt came to light during the initial appearance of the suspect, Lois Dube, who is jointly charged with Langton Nkomo and Mqabuko Ncube. The three allegedly murdered Cornwall Jones Richard at his house in Burnside last month.
Richard had just returned from a shopping trip in Botswana.
The police advised the court that Dube tried to kill himself using blanket seams.
“The first accused person attempted to commit suicide in police cells using blanket seams and it’s in the interest of saving the accused person’s life not to admit him to bail,” they wrote on the Form 242 which contained the trio’s charges.
Dube and his accomplices were not formally charged with murder and robbery when they briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Tawanda Muchemwa on Monday.
They were all remanded in custody to October 3 and advised to apply to the High Court for bail.
Charges against them are that on August 24, they received information that Richard had gone to Botswana for shopping.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
They allegedly colluded to rob him of cash upon his return. During the night, they allegedly armed themselves with a bolt cutter, entered his yard before his arrival and laid an ambush.
Richard arrived home at around 8pm. He locked the gate and when he was about to close the kitchen door, he was hit on the head with a bolt cutter and he died instantly.
The accused allegedly covered his body with a bed cover before ransacking the house, but failed to get cash. They, however, stole a revolver and 19 rounds of ammunition.
Richard’s body was discovered by his domestic worker the following morning and he made a police report.
