THREE people have been sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour in separate cases of murder and aggravated robbery.
Philimon Shanzi, of Early-Early Trading Centre, was convicted of murdering his friend, Lyson Nyirenda, who had hosted him for two days in Chipata.
Shanzi later dumped the body in one of his father’s unoccupied shops at the trading centre and fled with the deceased’s motorbike.
Delivering judgment, Chipata High Court judge-in-charge Charles Kafunda found Shanzi guilty on both counts of murder and aggravated robbery.
He said evidence showed that Shanzi was the last person seen with the deceased, and that he had access to the shop where the body was discovered.
“Mr Shanzi, you are a very evil person. The deceased welcomed you into his home and treated you as a friend, yet you killed him in such a brutal manner. All because of a motorbike, you murdered a friend who trusted you,” Justice Kafunda said.
He sentenced Shanzi to life imprisonment with hard labour on both counts, stressing that such individuals are a danger to society.
In another case, Alonzio Phiri was sentenced to life imprisonment on two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated robbery.
Phiri killed two people in Jenda area on separate occasions, stealing a bicycle from one victim and a bag of mealie meal from the other.
Meanwhile, Patulani Nkanta was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour for strangling his wife to death in their bedroom.
Source: Zambia Daily Mail