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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
A Chinamhora woman killed her uncle after she had squandered the money she had been entrusted to keep for lobola.

The incident happened after the uncle had asked for the money.

Charles Chikono (52) mobilised US$1 600 and gave it to his niece Lisa Chikono for safe keeping. But the 24-year-old Lisa allegedly squandered the money and became evasive when he asked for it.

On January 24, the court heard that she hatched a plan to kill her uncle so as to evade paying him back.

She allegedly invited him to her house around 7pm on the pretext she wanted to give him his money but started telling him stories.

Her uncle then decided to go back to his house at around 11pm and Lisa escorted him while holding a hoe and a rope.

It is the State’s case that she had borrowed the hoe from her neighbour.

Along the way, Lisa, the State alleges, turned to her uncle and struck him four times on the head with the hoe before strangling him with the rope.

The court heard that after allegedly killing her uncle, Lisa rushed back to her house and removed her blood-stained clothes before informing her neighbours that they had been attacked by robbers who killed her uncle.

A report was made to the police and during investigations, she allegedly gave conflicting statements prompting the police to further question her, leading to her arrest.

According to the State, Lisa led the police to a place where she had hidden the hoe and the blood-stained clothes. She also led the police to the hardware shop from where she had bought the rope, it is alleged.

Lisa who is from Mungate Village under Chief Chinamhora in Domboshava yesterday appeared before magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa charged with murder.

She was remanded in custody to February 17 with instructions to approach the High Court for bail.

Harare lawyer Mr Tawanda Takaindisa is acting on her behalf while Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa and Ms Tatenda Mukurunge represented the State.