Murder Suspect Denies Killing Ex-MP Chella

THE alleged mastermind in the hacking to death of former Wusakile member of Parliament Barnabas Chella has told the Kitwe High Court that he does not know how to hold an axe and to cut down trees.

This is a case in which Frederick Mulusa, Robby Mwelwa, Joyce Mwansa, Eric Mendulo, Samson Chisala, Kenneth Chisanga and Derrick Kalunga, are jointly charged with murdering Mr Chella.
Particulars of the offence are that Mulusa, Mwelwa, Mwansa, Mendulo, Chisala, Chisanga and Kalunga on September 5 last year in Kitwe, jointly and whilst acting together murdered Mr Chella.
In his defence before High Court judge Catherine Makungu yesterday, Mulusa denied hacking Mr Chella to death.
He said the state witnesses who identified him as the person who murdered Mr Chella lied.
Mulusa testified that he was staying in Mufulira with his mother until August last year when he decided to visit his uncles in Kitwe so that they could assist him with money to enable him to enroll at Luanshya Trades Institute.
He narrated that his uncles told him to wait a bit and he decided to look for part time jobs, commonly known as piece work instead of just staying at home and doing nothing.
Mulusa testified that he started living with his uncle in Mulenga township and that he used to walk to the farms near the Kitwe-Ndola dual carriageway to look for jobs.
He testified that on September 5 last year, he went to the farms but he did not secure any job and that around 12:00 hours, as he was walking back home, he found a lot of people on the main road and in the bush.
Mulusa said he did not pay attention to the people he found and continued with his journey.
He testified that on September 9, he received a funeral and he travelled to Solwezi with his uncle.
Mulusa testified that two days later, five people went to the funeral house in Solwezi and asked to see him.
He said he later learnt that the five were police officers and that they took him to the roadside where they allegedly hit him with the butt of the gun on his head.
Mulusa said he was transported to Kitwe Central Police Station where police officers told him that he had killed a person but that he denied committing murder.
He alleged that the police initially apprehended about 15 people but released them after they paid bribes.
Under cross-examination by senior state advocate Katongo Waluzimba, Mulusa said he met all the people who identified him as the person who hacked Mr Chella to death.
He also said he did not see anyone bribe police officers to be released.

Posted by Editor on May 3, 2014. Filed under CRIME. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry