Soldier beats uncle to death, court told

Majuru, who is based at Imbizo Barracks, attacked his father’s brother after suspecting he was behind his failure to marry.
He allegedly kicked and punched the old man all over the body.
Majuru’s lawyer Mr Albert Nyamufukudza yesterday closed the defence case at the High Court and Justice Chinembiri Bhunu reserved judgment in the matter.
Prosecutor Mr Toendepi Mafuwa told the court that on August 23 last year, Majuru who was at his rural home in Madzvanga Village Bindura, went for a beer drink at Ms Nelia Jasi’s homestead.
While at the beer drink, he charged towards his uncle Mr Charles Majuru accusing him of witchcraft.
It is the State’s case that Majuru blamed his uncle for his failure to get married.
Majuru started kicking and punching the old man.
Ms Jasi and others pleaded with Majuru but he continued assaulting the old man.
The seriously injured uncle died on the way to hospital.
In a defence outline read in court by Mr Nyamufukudza, Majuru denied the murder charges saying he beat his uncle but without the intention to kill him.
“The accused person admit assaulting the deceased but without any intention to cause his death because he had been provoked.
“The reason for assaulting him was to try and disarm him of the catapult that he was using to shoot at him after an altercation,” read the outline.
Majuru said he greeted his uncle at the beer drink but he insulted him saying he was not his “father”.
It is stated that the old man added that Majuru’s real father had long died and that he should not refer to him as father.
That, according to the defence outline, was provocation considering that his real father was late.