Choked with emotion, 36-year-old, Budani Monthe wept uncontrollably, burying her head in her hands to escape the hungry glare of the media, which had gathered en masse at Francistown Magistrates Court on Friday to catch a glimpse of the suspected killer.
The night before, the Choppies cashier is said to have sunk an axe into her boyfriend’s head, allegedly hacking at Desmond Chingwere, 36, in apparent self-defence during a row at their Mathangwane home.
It is believed Chingwere was cut in his forehead and the back of his head.
Charged with murder, Monthe, who arrived in court with a badly bruised, tear-streaked face, was remanded in custody, her plea reserved.
Securing her detainment, the Investigating Officer (IO) told court his team were still to collect statements from key witnesses.
“We have managed to find the object suspected to have been used in the commission of the offence. We are still to collect the blood samples at the scene and DNA samples on the blankets.
“We are not yet done interviewing the accused person, and the postmortem is also yet to be done. According to the suspect they had a misunderstanding that led her to taking an axe and hitting him,” revealed Detective Constable, Moreri.
The officer added the suspect tried to stop the bleeding but failed. She was also seemingly unable to fetch help as her boyfriend had locked the house and she couldn’t find the keys; instead she ended up calling the police.
By the time they arrived, it was already too late and Chingwere had reportedly bled out.
A well-known barber based in Francistown, he will be laid to rest in Mathangwane this weekend.
His alleged killer, Monthe, an equally well-known, popular figure who worked at Choppies Meriting right opposite her boyfriend’s place of work, returns to court on 16 July.
With the sad story dominating timelines, she is likely to be faced with the media’s hungry glare once again!
