Two suspects accused of the 2019 murder of a High Court Sheriff and a motorist have been committed to a psychiatric unit for mental observation by High Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi.
Day Kaseke and Misheck Neshamba were part of a six-member gang that posed as commuters and carried out a robbery on High Court Sheriff Kelvin Karasa, ultimately resulting in his death. They employed a similar tactic to attack and rob a motorist named Brian Kadenge, who had offered them a ride from Norton to Harare.
Kaseke and Neshamba, along with their accomplices Francis Alimoso and Kingswell Ngwerume, now suffer from mental illnesses. Alimoso and Ngwerume are already receiving psychiatric treatment at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
The other two suspects, John Robin and Gift Jongwe, passed away under mysterious circumstances in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Justice Mutevedzi granted the National Prosecution Authority’s application to withdraw charges against Kaseke and Neshamba due to their mental condition. As a result, the judge ordered their commitment to a psychiatric unit for observation.
According to the State, in September 2019, Kaseke, Neshamba, Alimoso, Ngwerume, Robin, and Jongwe posed as commuters seeking transportation at Muza shopping centre. Karasa offered them a ride in his government vehicle to Ruwa. However, at Mara Farm in Epworth, one of the suspects attacked Karasa, tied him up, and robbed him of cash, court documents, and a cellphone. They also demanded his EcoCash pin.
Alimoso then dragged Karasa into a bushy area, where he was blindfolded, struck on the head, and left tied to a tree. Karasa’s government vehicle was discovered abandoned in the central business district the following day.
The gang also targeted Kadenge, who offered them a ride from Norton to Harare. Kadenge was attacked at the Lake Chivero turn-off, robbed of his belongings, stoned to death, and his body was discarded in a busy area.
Additionally, the gang used Kadenge’s car as a taxi, picking up four passengers in the city center and robbing them of their possessions. The car was later found abandoned at Mbizi Game Park.
