Brain-extracting Mkoba prophet acquitted

A 27-YEAR-OLD man who axed a Gweru woman and removed her brains was acquitted on a charge of murder by a High Court judge on Monday, reports New Zimbabwe

Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Nokuthula Moyo, ruled that Johane Nyasha Masiiwa could not be held responsible for his actions as he committed the crime out of insanity.

Before handing the sentence, Justice Moyo considered an affidavit from a psychiatrist who examined Masiiwa and concluded that the accused suffered from mental delusions.

Justice Moyo however said he also considered the psychiatrist report that Masiiwa was a danger to society and should be committed to Mlondolozi Psychiatric Hospital for rehabilitation.

Masiiwa and an accomplice, Artwell Chimupeto, killed Patience Mpofu in February 2011.

Tafadzwa Mpariwa, for the state, said sometime on February 16, 2011 in Mkoba Village 2 the accused, who are friends, hatched a plan to obtain human brains for ritual purposes.

They reportedly formed the Chisungo Chevapostori Apostolic Faith sect, which Mpofu also attended.

Upon arrival at Mpofu’s house the duo, who were armed with an axe, knocked at the door and the deceased came out with the belief that she was going for prayer sessions behind her house.

When the deceased was in a kneeling position praying with her eyes closed,

Masiiwa struck her once on the head with the axe and she died instantly.

The two covered her with a blanket after extracting her brains.

The axe used for the murder was recovered at Masiiwa’s residence.

When Masiiwa was arrested he implicated Chimupeto before leading the police to the scene of the crime for indications.

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