By KALOBWE BWALYA and GIDEON NYENDWA
A LUSAKA juvenile alleged to have murdered his parents, has a history of violence and drug abuse, his neighbours have revealed.
Police are yet to charge the suspect who is detained at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe police post.
Neighbours have described the suspect as moody and anti-social because he never greets anyone and often sets dogs on children in the neighbourhood.
According to one neighbour, the boy almost strangled his mother a week ago at the gate in full view of passersby and neighbours. The mother however, managed to push him off and drove inside.
This was after Ms Pemba Alphonsina Lubwika Mwakachela returned from the farm in the afternoon and hooted for the son to open the gate but he ignored. The mother continued hooting and then picked some stones which she threw on the roof to force him out of the house. He eventually came out very upset and upon opening the gate, went and grabbed his mother round the neck choking her, screaming that she was disturbing him.
Meanwhile, another neighbour spoken to says the incident is not surprising as the boy has always acted strange even towards the neighbors and that he has always been notorious towards his parents.
She says the boy always exhibits strange behaviour that leaves everyone in the neighbourhood with a sense of fear.
At the crime scene, neighbours and relatives watched as police officers combed the yard and house for evidence.
She said the suspect tried to run away from police while handcuffed but was easily captured by the officers.
One neighbour said she saw the couple on Friday and they greeted each other not knowing that it was the last meeting.
“On Saturday, we just saw the same boy in handcuffs with the police officers being led out of the yard. And we asked what had happened and the sister tried to explain but the police stopped her,” she said.
At the crime scene, one officer was seen carrying bloodied stained red t-shirt.
The bodies of the couple were dragged to the back of the house near a pit latrine, where the suspect allegedly wanted to have a private burial.
According to police, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe Station recorded a murder case which occurred on Saturday August 6, 2022 between 00:00 hours and 10:00 hours at house number 20 Gerliam street in Salama Park where Nathaniel Mwakachela aged 53 and Pemba Alphonsina Lubwika Mwakachela aged 52 have allegedly been killed by their first born son, aged 19.
Rae Hamoonga, Police spokesperson told the Daily Nation, “During early hours of Saturday August 6, 2022 while asleep, a female juvenile aged 15 who is a sister to the suspect heard some noise with a bang and someone screaming but ignored as she thought it was her father trying to take her brother to a rehabilitation centre because they had mentioned earlier of taking him to the facility as his brother’s behaviour had been bad,” Mr Hamoonga said.
He said, “around 11:00 hours when she woke up she discovered that her bedroom door was locked. She then decided to call her brother to come and open for her but he responded saying that he was mopping so he couldn’t open.”
“Later she decided to open the door using a knife. When she got out it was quiet in the house as only her brother was present.
He then followed her and told her he wanted to tell her something but that he could only communicate it on a piece of paper. That’s how he broke the news by writing on the paper that the parents had died of Covid.
She checked for the bodies inside the house but couldn’t find them so she decided to go out and that’s where she found the two bodies wrapped in blankets and tied on each ends with wires.”
She then asked her brother to let her take a walk outside to clear her mind and she was allowed. It was at this point when she went outside the gate that she informed her family members who later went with her to report the matter to the police at around 13:30 hours.
