Man found with slain lover’s private parts
By Daniel Nemukuyu
The Chinhoyi man who allegedly killed his girlfriend, mutilated the corpse before being caught selling the woman’s private parts should be examined by two psychiatrists to ascertain his state of mind, the High Court ruled yesterday.
Justice Felistus Chatukuta ordered the prosecution to ensure that two Government psychiatrists examine Elias Kurapwi in terms of the Mental Health Act. The findings of the psychiatrists would determine whether the murder trial would go ahead or not.
The murder trial was supposed to start yesterday, but Kurapwi’s lawyers successfully applied to have him examined before the defence outline could be filed. Law officer Mr Douglas Chesa of the Attorney General’s Office who is prosecuting the case consented to the defence lawyers’ request.
Kurapwi is being charged with murdering his girlfriend in 2009. According to the indictment papers, on November 30 2009, Kurapwi visited his girlfriend at Botas Farm and took her out to Lion’s Den in Mhangura.
Along the way, Kurapwi took the woman to Chisaki Farm in Chinhoyi where he stabbed her on the neck with a pocket knife. He is alleged to have further stabbed the woman in the stomach and she died on the spot.
It is the State’s case that Kurapwi cut off her private parts, two fingers from the right hand and two toe nails and dumped the mutilated corpse at the scene. Kurapwi ran out of luck when he took the private parts to the market.
He allegedly waved down a Chinhoyi farmer Mr Deon Bezuidenhout who was driving his car and he offered Kurapwi a lift. While in the car, Kurapwi allegedly told Mr Bezuidenhout that he was selling a woman’s private parts that were in his pocket. The parts were wrapped in a plastic bag.
Disturbed by the incident, Mr Bezuidenhout informed his farm foreman Mr Mackriel Chauruka who made a report to the police. Police investigations led to the arrest of Kurapwi and the recovery of the private parts.
Kurapwi then took the police for indications, showing them the woman’s heavily mutilated corpse that was still in the bushy area at Chisaki Farm. The corpse was covered with tree leaves. Police then took the corpse to Chinhoyi Hospital where a post-mortem was conducted.
At the scene of crime, police recovered the woman’s clothes. Fourteen State witnesses are lined up to testify in the murder trial. The parties are expected back in court on March 18.
