THE Court of Appeal has upheld a death sentence slapped on a polygamist of Monze who poisoned his second wife to death following a marital dispute. Lackson Hamangala was charged with the murder of Mutinta Hachisala. Ms Hachisala’s father, Funny Hachisala, told the court that on January 10, 2017 while in the field, he received a message informing him about his daughter’s death.

Mr Hachisala said he rushed to Hamangala’s house, where he found the body of his daughter on the floor in the bedroom. When he asked Hamangala about what had caused his daughter’s death, he told him that she had taken a noxious substance for cattle dip.

Mr Hachisala also told the court that Hamangala used to beat his wife and that she would report the matter to him. Another witness, Kelvin Miyoba, testified that on January 9, 2017, Hamangala went to his house and asked if he could spend a night there.

Mr Miyoba said upon asking Hamangala why he wanted to spend a night at his house, he claimed that he overheard some people accusing him of having impregnated a young girl. A post-mortem on Ms Hachisala’s body found clotted blood in the mouth, a loose neck, a fractured cervical vertebra and a heavy collection of blood in the right side of her chest.

In his defence, Hamangala denied having had any grave misunderstandings in his marriage with Ms Hachisala and claimed that his two wives had a cordial relationship. He was sentenced to death after the court found him guilty of causing the death of Ms Hachisala. Hamangala had appealed against his conviction to the Court of Appeal arguing that the trial judge erred in law and fact when she convicted him based on circumstantial evidence. When the matter came up before the Court of Appeal in Ndola for judgement, Judge Marjory Majula said the trial judge was on firm ground to find Hamangala guilty.

“The circumstantial evidence discloses that the appellant is the one who had an opportunity to commit the crime, coupled with his peculiar behaviour. “The inference to be drawn is that he assaulted the deceased thereby occasioning her death. The appeal lacks merit in its entirety and we dismiss it. We uphold the conviction and the sentence,” Judge Majula said