Was it the wife, and did she act alone?
The 58-year-old woman accused of murdering her husband and then trying to cover up the crime earlier this month was back in court on Monday.
Peter Manyathelo’s bloody, still-fresh corpse was found in his van, parked by the roadside on the outskirts of Borolong village on the morning of 8 February.
The finger of blame quickly pointed at the murdered man’s wife, Susan Manyathelo, who was subsequently arrested.
However, police now suspect that whoever killed Peter, 68, did not act alone.
The bombshell was dropped during this week’s court appearance, when Susan, who works as a secretary at the Attorney General Chambers in Francistown, had been hoping to get bail.
Insisting this was not a good idea, State Prosecutor, Goabaone Motlhagodi explained, “This is a complex matter in which it is likely that the accused had accomplices.
“Also, there is a likelihood that the accused may tamper with our investigations and abscond from trial if granted bail,” argued Motlhagodi, before calling the Investigating Officer (IO), Joseph Modipe to elaborate further.
Modipe revealed they fear the suspect might flee back to her country of origin, Zimbabwe.
He also noted it was in Susan’s best interests to remain locked up, with a prison cell the safest place for her right now.
“The public, more especially the relatives, are still angry at what happened,” Modipe warned.
Detailing the build-up to Susan’s arrest, the IO told court they got the call of an abandoned car on the morning of 8 February.
“We arrived on the scene and found the lifeless body of the deceased. The wife was called and she identified the body,’ Modipe said, adding they then proceeded to the couple’s home in Shangano ward, Makobo.
“Upon arrival at their home we learnt that the couple was sleeping in separate houses. The wife was sleeping in the main house while the deceased was sleeping in the rondavel house.
“When we tried to get access to the deceased’s house it was locked and the accused revealed she does not have the keys to the house which we later recovered from the van,” he continued.
According to Modipe, when officers finally entered the house, the first thing that caught their eye were red-like spots, suspected to be blood, on the wall and doorframe, while the corner of the bed was soaked in red.
The IO added it appeared the floor had recently been mopped.
“We proceeded to search the whole yard and found a mop and other clothes hanging on the screen wall, stained with a red substance. We therefore took the bloodstained items for forensic analysis,” he narrated, adding the police are yet to recover any murder weapon.
For his part, the accused’s attorney, David Olatotse told court to remember his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The angry attorney also accused Modipe of withholding important information before court in order to ensure Susan is denied bail.
The bail hearing was ultimately postponed for three days, with the matter returning to court on Thursday 24 February. The suspect will remain behind bars until then.
