Kabwe Soldier Denies Murdering Colleague’s Wife

BY CHAMBO NGU’UNI
A KABWE-based soldier Brian Kayuni has denied murdering Melody Kasonde, the teenage wife of his co-accused Steven Kabayo.
This is in the matter where Kabayo, a soldier and Kayuni are jointly charged with the murder of Ms Kasonde, 17, believed to have been murdered between December 27 and 29, 2011.
The duo has been appearing before the Kabwe High Court. The offence is contrary to Section 200 Cap 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Kayuni, 32, a corporal based at Chindwin Barracks last Thursday appeared before Kabwe High Court judge Elita Mwikisa for his defence and testified that he was not involved in the murder of Ms Kasonde and does not know who killed her.
“I told the police that I have no idea about the death of Melody Kasonde. I just heard about it here in court,” he said in Nyanja as Kabayo listened attentively.
Kayuni seemed relieved when he was called to commence his defence after Kabayo closed his defence.
During cross-examination by senior assistant State advocate Monica Mwansa, Kayuni told the court that although he spent a night at house number C50 off Mukonchi Road in Poleni on December 28, 2011, he was not involved in the murder of Ms Kasonde.
He said before the death of Ms Kasonde, he had lived with Kabayo for four months, adding that Kabayo was not his friend but a workmate with whom he had shared a house in Poleni.
Kayuni testified that the trunk in which the body of Ms Kasonde was bundled was not his and he did not assist Kabayo to put the body in the trunk.
When Ms Mwansa told him that he and Kabayo killed Ms Kasonde between December 27 and December 29, 2011, he denied the accusation, saying the last time he saw Ms Kasonde was during the first week of December 2011 before he left the house in Poleni to live with his older sister Bridget Kayuni.
Kayuni testified that he was not deceiving the court and he was not deliberately attempting to disassociate himself from Ms Kasonde’s murder.
And during examination-in-chief, Kayuni testified that at the time Ms Kasonde was murdered, he was living with his older sister in Natuseko.
He also said he was picked on December 29, 2011 by the police at Chindwin Barracks and taken to Kabwe Central Police Station.
“They (police) asked me what had happened over the death of Melody Kasonde and I told them that I knew nothing. I was detained at Kasonde Police Station,” he said.
And when cross-examined by Kabayo’s lawyer Tutwa Ngulube, Kayuni denied that the blue bed-sheet in which the body was wrapped was his.
Kayuni also denied that a knife found stuck in Ms Kasonde’s head was his and said he did not know if it belonged to Kabayo.
The matter comes up on June 21, 2013 for continued defence.