Judge adjourns infamous albino killing case to 2019

High Court Judge Zione Ntaba has adjourned a case in which 12 suspects including a Catholic priest, a clinician and police officer are accused of killing a person with albinism in Machinga to January when they will know whether they have a case to answer or not.

Ntaba said this on Tuesday after the 13th witness, the last to state witness to be paraded in the Zomba High Court, forensic expert Charles Dzamalala recommended that the state does DNA on the bones found.

Dzamalala said his conclusion was that the bones were for the 22-year-old Macdonald Masambuka who was brutally killed and some of his bones were removed from the body.

“I would suggest that although I can conclude that the bones belong to the deceased, there should be a DNA so that it matches with his mother to fully conclude that the bones are his,” said Dzamalala.

Trouble Kalua, lawyer from Legal Aid who is representing 10 out of the 12 suspects, took Dzamalala to task, asking him if he is still keeping the bones, to which the forensic expert denied keeping the bones.

Earlier, a prisoner at Zomba Maximum Prison testified against two of the suspects, saying they confessed to him whilst in prison that they took part in the killing of Masambuka.

It was not immediately known whether the state would go for the DNA as recommended by Dzamalala but Judge Ntaba said she will make a ruling in January next year on whether the suspects have a case to answer or not.

All the suspects, including the suspended Catholic priest Thomas Muhosha, the clinician Lumbani Kamanga and police officer Chikondi Chileka were all in the court.

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