Lady luck smiled on Pusetso Morupisi, when a Maun High court sentenced him to five years in jail term for manslaughter, with two years suspended on condition that he does not commit any violent offence before the lapse of his sentence.
The 30-year-old Morupisi of Kareng village killed his love rival, Ogotlhe Pitso back in April 2023 after he caught him in bed with his girlfriend.
and upon passing sentence this week, Justice Godfrey Nthomiwa noted that there were extenuating circumstances.
When passing sentence this week, Justice Godfrey Nthomiwa acknowledged that there were extenuating circumstances in the tragedy. He noted that Morupisi did not mean to kill Pitso when he beat him hard with a stick, but rather wanted to punish him after finding him with his girlfriend.
“The sight of seeing your girlfriend with another man was enough to deprive you of self control. Indeed that sight was provocative,” he said. “Given the size of the stick it is clear that you did not intend to cause the deceased serious harm but you only intended to punish him for fooling around with your girlfriend. It was unfortunate that the force you used exceeded the limit and therefore hurting the deceased in vulnerable area of the body resulting in the trauma that he suffered,” noted Justice Nthomiwa.
That fateful April morning, Morupisi is said to have found Pitso in his house with his girlfriend Orwesitswe Gomee, who is also the mother of his two children despite having previously caught them sleeping together and warned him against it. On that day Morupisis is said to have lost it and fatally beaten Pitso with a stick in a fit of rage. Gomee is said to have escaped and ran back to her house during the assault.
“You admitted causing the death of one Ogotlhe Pitso by beating him with a stick all over the body including the head. On examination the Pathologist found that the injuries sustained were caused by blunt force trauma.”
The Judge noted that in pleading for mercy during mitigation, Morupisi pleaded provocation by the now deceased as he found him sleeping with his girlfriend who then was a mother to their three year old child. The second born was born while Morupisi was in prison over this matter.
On the fateful day Morupisi went to his girlfriend’s place and when he did not find her, he suspected that she could be with the other man. He proceeded there at around eight o’çlock and upon entering the deceased’s house he found them together. He then took a stick and beat up Pitso all over his body.
The Judge further noted that Morupisi had asked the court to note that at the time of commission of the offence, he was only a young man aged 28 years, a farmer staying at Mogoagoe cattlepost in Kareng area and that he was an only child in his family.
He further mentioned that he has three children, two of whom are with the woman at the centre of the case. “Regrettably the second born was born while you were in prison. Mothers of these children are not working and are dependent on you.”
The Judge noted that when pleading guilty, Morupisi showed remorsefulness.
In mitigation Morupisi’s attorney requested the Judge to temper justice with mercy and to be lenient when considering the sentence.
The Judge noted that he has considered all these and the fact that this was a serious case given that a human life was taken when that could have been avoided with self restraint.
The Judge also noted that Morupisi who is a first offender had found himself in a situation that could potentially temper with his emotions and he failed to exercise self restraint.
Morupisi was represented by a Maun based Attorney Clifford Foroma of Foroma & Associates legal Practice.
