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19-year sentence for uncle, wife stabber

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A HONDE Valley man, Brian Chirinda, who murdered his uncle in cold blood after a failed attempt to kill his wife, was jailed 19 years after he was convicted

A HONDE Valley man, Brian Chirinda, who murdered his uncle in cold blood after a failed attempt to kill his wife, was jailed 19 years after he was convicted of murder with actual intent and attempted murder by High Court Justice Charles Hungwe.

OBEY MANAYITI STAFF REPORTER

Chirinda (28), of Mareya Village in Chief Mutasa area, had a misunderstanding with his wife over some monetary issues.

But after his wife sought refuge at his uncle’s homestead, he then turned against him and stabbed him twice with a kitchen knife.

Appearing for the State, Jane-Rose Matsikidze told the court that Chirinda and his wife Diana Nyamutata had a long standing dispute over monetary issues in their matrimonial home.

Chirinda always accused his wife of misusing money.

On October 7 last year at around 7pm, the two had a heated argument and as a result, Nyamutata sought refuge at her husband’s uncle — Shepard Mareya – where she was offered a place to sleep.

In no time, the marauding Chirinda stormed Mareya’s homestead demanding answers from his wife on why she had fled.

As he was heaping insults at his wife, Chirinda dropped a torch he was holding in his hands and under the influence of darkness he withdrew a silver kitchen knife and stabbed his wife once in the chest.

She screamed for help and rushed to the now deceased Mareya’s bedroom for refuge.

Chirinda then stabbed his wife for the second time in the chest, but when Mareya tried to restrain him, he then stabbed him once in the left side of his chest. He further stabbed him once on the neck before setting a hut ablaze and fled into the nearby mountains.

Mareya later collapsed and died.

Chirinda was arrested two days later in the mountains, 4km away from his homestead.

He was still in possession of the knife he used to commit the offences.

Hungwe castigated Chirinda, whom he said acted out of sheer wickedness to commit the offences. On the first count of murder, he was sentenced to 15 years behind bars and on that of attempted murder, he was slapped with four years in jail.