TANZANIA: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH OVER MURDER

February 12, 2024:

The High Court of Kigoma on February 2, 2024 sentenced Kigoma Ujiji municipal resident Peter Mwandelema to be hanged to death after being found guilty of intentionally killing seven people of the same family in 2022.
The 34-year-old man from Mlole village was convicted of cold-blooded murdering the victims; six of them died on the material evening, while the other one passed away three days later while being transported to Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) for further treatment.
Justice Augustine Rwizile delivered the judgment after the court convicted the victim of murder.
The judge ruled that the prosecution proved the charge beyond reasonable doubt as required in criminal cases.
Regarding the prosecution’s evidence, he accepted the testimony of witnesses in line with Section 26 of the Criminal Procedure Act after examining the series of exhibits, including the tested blood samples (to extract DNA) discovered in the defendant’s clothes as well as a machete that was used in the murder.
Judge Rwizile further remarked that the defendant’s confession to committing the crime and the accuracy of the details provided by the prosecution satisfied the court.
Additionally, he claimed the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the phone the accused was found with after being arrested belonged to one of the deceased.
“These are direct evidence that the defendant was involved in the murder, and the Court finds him guilty and sentences him to death by hanging,” the Justice concluded.
The prosecution claimed that on July 3, 2022, in Kigoma Ujiji municipality, the accused person murdered seven people and was charged with murder, contrary to sections 196 and 197 of the Penal Code, CAP 16 R.E. 2019.
It is alleged that on the aforementioned date and place, the convict killed Tilifera Toyi (70), January Mussa (34), Sara Dunia (28), Joel Mussa (40), Christina Razalo (9), James Joel (7), and James January (3), who passed away three days later while being transported to MNH for further treatments.
The court also heard that, on a material day, the convict left a 6-month-old infant alive. The convict is said to have committed the crime out of sexual envy after learning that one of the family members was having an extramarital affair with his wife.
Therefore, on the incident day, the convict planned to kill his target man.
However, as the victims woke up and began screaming, he thought he should kill all members of the family to destroy the evidence.