Court told how ritual killer suspect led police to crime scene
By CHINTU MALAMBO
A POLICE officer has testified in the Lusaka High court that one of the suspected ritual killers led him to the place where he revealed and demonstrated how they dumped bodies of those they killed.
Two soldiers and two civilians are facing seven counts of murders linked to a spate of ritual killings that rocked George, Matero, Lilanda and Zingalume townships in Lusaka last year.
The suspects are Lucky Siame, 46, a soldier of Lilanda Military camp, Lewis Chishimba, a traditional healer of Lusaka west, Christopher Kasapo, an office assistant at the Zambia Air force (ZAF) of Zingalume and Elvis Nyanga, a soldier of Kandungu in Solwezi.
When the matter came up for continued trial, detective Inspector David Siloka of Chilenje police camp told High Court Judge Florence Lengalenga that he interviewed one of the accused persons, Lucky Siame who led the investigations team to the dump where he revealed and demonstrated how the bodies were dumped.
Mr. Siloka said that the alleged place is the same one where police picked a body prior to the suspect leading the investigation team to the scene. “On 28th April 2016, Lucky Siame, led the enter investigations team to a place near Musanide car park in George compound where he revealed and demonstrated how the bodies where dumped.
Mr Siloka further testified that on 29th April, 2016, he travelled to Solwezi where he was pursuing the owner of mobile number 0969529616 which was alleged to have belonged to Collins (Elvis Nyanga) a sergeant at ZAF and that the suspect was later apprehended and charged. Another police officer, detective Chief Inspector Jimmy Phiri, in charge of criminal investigations at Woodlands police testified that when he had met the four accused persons at police headquarters, they were interviewed individually and that Lucky Siame volunteered to lead the investigation team to a place where the ritual acts where being done.
However, defence lawyer Humphrey Mweemba objected to the witness’s leading testimony that his client had voluntarily led the officers. He asked the court to further guide on whether the witness was in order to give a testimony that was equal to a confession.
Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that defence needed to establish the alleged acts of involuntary actions in the witness’s testimony and that there was nothing wrong with the leading if the accused was placed under warn and caution. The court however, reserved 21st September, 2017 as date of ruling in the objection raised.