Murderer confesses to ‘harvesting blood’ from victim (5)
A man from Nyanga who allegedly killed a five-year-old girl for ritual purposes has confessed to murdering the minor.
The girl, Audrey Mufaro Murira disappeared for six days and her body was found dismembered in a mountain with missing body parts raising suspicions that she was murdered for ritual purposes.
The girl’s remains were discovered at three different locations on the mountain.
In his warned and cautioned statement recorded by the police, the alleged killer, Philemon Chikata, reportedly said he “harvested” blood from Audrey for ritual purposes. Police said in a statement:
In a suspected ritual murder, on December 4, 2021, Audrey Mufaro Murira (5) was playing with her friends when the suspect, Philemon Chikata, a male adult at Messenger’s Camp, Nyanga passed by. Audrey followed the suspect calling him her friend.
The suspect took away the victim and disappeared. Searches for the child were fruitless, only for her remains to be found at the base of a mountain in an advanced state of decomposition.
The suspect has since been arrested and confessed to the brutal killing of the minor.
Chikata initially appeared before Nyanga magistrate, Notebulgah Muchineripi, facing kidnapping charges before they were changed to murder.
State prosecutor Tafara Chawatama withdrew the kidnapping charges before plea.
Chikata was not asked to plead for murder when he appeared in court last week on Thursday.
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