Zimbabwe Man Gets 22 Years In Prison For Brutal Murder Of Girlfriend After She Allegedly Cheated With Ex-Lover, Then Buries Naked Body In Shallow Grave

A Zimbabwe man, Qinisela Sibanda, 30, of Umguza was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend after learning she allegedly cheated on him with her ex-boyfriend, reported the Chronicle. On the morning of March 13, 2015, 33-year-old Judith Mlauzi left her home to purchase building material and pension money; but, when she failed to return, her family reported her missing.

Man Brutally Kills Girlfriend For Cheating, Buries Her In Shallow Grave :: Zim Metro https://t.co/6V3EyqOWry

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Three days after the woman’s disappearance, village dogs were able to locate her nude body that was buried in a shallow grave with her hands sticking out. The victim’s sister, Thembi Mlauzi, stated, “there was a rope around her neck and her intestines were outside. It seems like the killer strangled her to death with a string and then buried her in a shallow grave but left her hands outside, which made dogs see her body.”

“A shovel was also found at the scene. It’s said when news spread around that a dead body had been found with hands sticking out, Sibanda was at his home but disappeared within minutes.”

A local medical examiner determined that the cause of death was due to cervical and head trauma.

Mlauzi’s family immediately suspected her boyfriend of the murder because it was reported that several witnesses saw the pair together at a bus stop before she went missing.

However, shortly after the woman’s body was found buried in a shallow grave, Metabeleland police officials arrested Sibanda at a bar in Lupane. Prosecutor Nathaniel Mutsikwa said the suspect “was found in possession of Mlauzi’s cellphone. He later made indications and led police to the place he had burnt her belongings and to where he hid the shovel.”

“Sibanda dug a shallow grave about 80cm deep and 2 metres long. After the act he took the shovel he used to dig the grave and hid it in a nearby thorn enclosure about 200m away from the scene of the crime. He then took Mlauzi’s cellphone and stayed two more days before fleeing to Lupane.”

While in custody, Sibanda later told his attorney, who informed the court that his intention was not to kill his girlfriend, according to Bulawayo 24. The accused killer stated he became furious after Mlauzi’s ex-boyfriend attacked him with a log. Siabnda said, “I did not intend to kill. When I had collected her from the bus stop and walked for a distance, a man came from behind me and asked what I was doing with his girlfriend before attacking me with a log. I ran away and was joined later by Mlauzi and she told me it was her ex-boyfriend who was trying to impose himself on her.”

“I got angry and slapped her and she retaliated and that prompted me to strike her three times below the ear with my fist, and she fell on the ground.”

Sibanda stated that after his girlfriend fell to the ground, he tried to administer first aid, but it was in vain as she was already dead.

After the Zimbabwe man was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and then burying her remains in a shallow grave, Judge Francis Bere stated at Bulawayo High Court that his testimony appeared to be inconsistent. He went on to say, “if he love his girlfriend, he would not have acted in the manner he did. His story claiming he was assaulted by Mlauzi’s ex-boyfriend is not true.”

Bere said that “the postmortem report was inconsistent with the manner in which Sibanda purported to have assaulted Mlauzi. One of the most highlighted injuries in the postmortem report was that there was a skull bone fracture which clearly indicates that excessive force was used.”

Qinisela Sibanda was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend Judith Mlauzi.

[Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]