The medical couple accused of murdering its 14-year-old maid will learn its fate on 21 March, the judgment date set by Lusaka High Court Judge Vincent Siloka.
The prosecution alleges that 14-year-old Janet Chola died from severe physical abuse, citing testimony from forensic pathologist Dr. Cordelia Himwaze.
Smart Mumba and Chanda Lwembo have pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder and were placed on their defence in January after the prosecution presented its case.
Dr. Himwaze’s testimony revealed shocking details of the injuries Janet suffered, including multiple blunt force traumas, punctured abrasions on her back, bruises on her arms and shoulders, and burns and lacerations on her left ear.
Janet’s nails had been traumatically removed, indicating the use of sharp implements.
During trial, the defence presented its case, calling witnesses to testify on behalf of the accused.
On Monday, Chalwe Musonda, a 45-year-old housemaid, testified that she had worked for the couple for a year and had never seen them mistreat anyone.
However, Musonda admitted that she had left the couple’s employment to attend a funeral and had not returned until after Janet’s death.
The defense also presented evidence, including photos of a child’s legs, which they claimed were relevant to the case.
However, the court declined to admit the evidence, citing concerns about the security and authenticity of the evidence.
The prosecution objected to the admission of the photos, arguing that they were not relevant to the case and had not been properly authenticated.
The court agreed, stating that the photos had not been properly identified and that their relevance to the case had not been established.
The defense also applied to have the child of the accused couple to be brought to court for purposes of identifying the deceased, but the application was denied due to concerns about traumatizing the child.
The court stated that it was not necessary to bring the child to court and that other evidence could be used to establish identity.
The state and defense have been given seven days each to file the their submissions, with the state filing first by March 10 and the defense by March 17. The matter has been adjourned to March 21 for judgment.
