 |
| Violet Moyo. |
Violet Moyo, aged 22, of of Bulawayo's Cowdray Park suburb killed infant Ethan Phiri in a "cruel and brutal manner", Bulawayo High Court Judge Lawrence Kamocha ruled yesterday (Thursday, Feb. 26)
"Time has come for such people to be dealt with in a harsh and adequate manner," he was quoted as saying.
Ethan's parents left Moyo in charge of their baby for the day on February 1, 2013.
The court heard this week how Moyo failed to console the baby when he woke up. She had wrapped him in a heavy blanket and stuffed him into a drawer, where he suffocated.
"Despite the baby's distressed cry, you chose to ignore him and went to the lounge to watch a television movie, which is quite clear... that you really wanted to kill him," Kamocha said.
"You're accordingly found guilty of murder with actual intent."
Moyo testified she put Ethan in the drawer because she had been possessed by an evil spirit. She also claimed she had felt "moody" on the day of the murder because she was pregnant, and was irritated by the toddler's cries.
"I gave the baby porridge and moments later he started crying and I tried to find the reason why he was crying but couldn't get any. I then got possessed by an evil spirit and wrapped the baby with a blanket and put him in a headboard drawer and closed it. I went to the sitting room to watch television and left it there until it suffocated. I panicked when I discovered that the baby was no longer breathing," she said.
The baby suffocated due to lack of oxygen. After about three hours, Moyo went back to check on the baby and found him dead. The court heard that Moyo lied to neighbours that the baby had fallen off the bed.