Piso Moyo (24) of Bindu Village under Chief Nyamhondo in
the Vurasha area in Mberengwa appeared before Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice
Martin Makonese who is sitting at the Gweru High Court Circuit facing one count
of murder.
Moyo, through his pro deo lawyer, Mr Devias Mujaya of
Mawadza and Mujaya Legal Practitioners, tendered a not guilty plea and tried by
all means during the trial to disassociate himself from the crime.
Justice Makonese convicted Moyo of the murder, which he
said was committed in aggravated circumstances of his friend and police
officer, Constable Benjamin Munoitei Murambiwa (32) before driving off with his
Honda Fit vehicle, two cellphones and US$130 cash.
Moyo, the court proved, stabbed Murambiwa once in the neck
with a knife and as he was bleeding profusely, he took a rope that was in the
car and strangled him.
Moyo was caught while pirating in Mwenezi using the
deceased’s vehicle and had given his niece one of the cellphones and sold the
other.
After taking about 45 minutes to write the judgment,
Justice Makonese said Moyo was guilty of a callous murder that was committed in
aggravated circumstances and deserved to be locked away for life.
Moyo, he said, was a danger to society.
“The callous murder was committed in aggravated
circumstances. The accused brutally killed the deceased before robbing him of
his car, money and two cellphones. The murder was committed in the course of a
robbery and the aggravating feature is that the murdered victim was a police
officer,” he said.
Justice Makonese said while the defence lawyer tried to
argue that the deceased was not on duty, he said the statute is clear that
killing a police officer is aggravation whether he is in uniform or not.
“The statute is clear and we can’t argue over that. In this
matter, the accused knew the deceased was a police officer since they were
friends. He killed his victim with the full knowledge that he was a police
officer and the attitude of the court might have been different if he didn’t
know that his friend was a police officer,” he said.
Justice Makonese said Moyo didn’t show any remorse but
rather sought to distance himself from the murder that he committed.
“The accused didn’t show any remorse and this conduct shows
that you are inherently wicked. How you murdered him showed you have no value
for life. You acted out of foolish belief that the offence will just disappear
in thin air as you went on to use the deceased’s vehicle for pirating in
Mwenezi where you were then arrested. You are sentenced to life in prison,” he
said.
Prosecuting, Mr Samuel Pedzisayi told the court that Moyo
was friends with Murambiwa, who during his lifetime resided at ZRP Mtapa and
was employed as a police officer.
The court heard that on December 12 in 2020 at Madeura
pick-up point in Zvishavane, Murambiwa picked Moyo and proceeded to Gweru as he
used to pirate between Gweru and Zvishavane on his off days.
Subsequently, a friendship developed between the two.
When they reached Gweru, the now-deceased proceeded to his
girlfriend’s place in Mkoba 13 and she cooked food for the two. Murambiwa
informed his girlfriend that Moyo was his nephew.
On the same day, Murambiwa proceeded to Masvingo in the
company of Moyo where he went to another girlfriend and slept there.
The court heard that on December 13, the two went back to
Zvishavane and Murambiwa went to yet another girlfriend who resided in Buffalo
Advelorem suburb in Zvishavane.
“The accused was left in the vehicle and the deceased went
away with his girlfriend into the house. He later returned and the accused and
deceased slept in the vehicle. While in the vehicle, the two woke up and the
accused took a knife and stabbed the deceased once in the neck,” said Mr
Pedzisayi.
He said Moyo then took a rope that was in the deceased’s vehicle
and strangled him.
“He then pulled him out of the vehicle into the thick grass
and left him there. The accused then took away two cellphones, a G-tel and an
Itel, a black wallet containing US$130 and drove the accused’s vehicle to
Mwenezi,” he said.
The court heard that the body of the deceased was
discovered by one Prince Muhle and a report was made to the police.
“The accused was later arrested in Mwenezi after
investigations were carried out leading to the recovery of the deceased’s
property from the accused person,” said Mr Pedzisayi. Chronicle
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