Chinhoyi High Court judge justice Philda Muzofa has committed a Kadoma man to Chikurubi Psychiatric Unit after he was declared mentally unstable after he killed his father and two other people who included a minor in 2021.
Evan Chikoore who was convicted after a full trial during which his mother denied he was mentally ill although it was common cause that her son had been unstable from childhood.
The judge said courts should be seen to be protecting such people because they are usually stigmatised and rejected.
“When they commit offences their woes multiply. Their lives become a sad tale that slowly pale into the dark soon to be forgotten,” said the judge.
The court heard that Chikoore was a well-known mental patient in the community he lived in.
On the 9th of July 2021 he unleashed a series of murders resulting in the death of three people in separate incidents.
After committing the offence, he was arrested and the magistrate ordered that he be examined by two doctors in terms of s26 of the Mental Health Act.
He was found to be mentally challenged.
According to the court papers Chikoore was not well since 2004. His deceased father would accompany him for medical treatment.
He would experience visual and auditory hallucinations and later defaulted treatment.
His father took him for treatment at some church where a prophet assisted him. At this stage he had stopped taking his prescribed medication.
The court heard his illness progressed and he became acutely psychotic.
Justice Muzofa noted it was not his fault because if he had remained on treatment these unnecessary deaths could have been averted.
On the 21st of July 2021 he decided to visit his deceased father’s homestead in the same village.
When he arrived at his father’s homestead, he demanded money to purchase beer but his father had no money which infuriated him.
He picked a stone and struck his father several times on the head before he set four grass thatched huts on fire.
Upon realizing that his father was not yet dead he attacked him several times with an axe until he died.
He proceeded to the next homestead, where the now deceased Tears Matara resided.
On arrival the accused asked where Matara’s husband was as he wanted his money from him.
He was told he was in Bulawayo but he demanded money from Matara before he was given ZW$30.
He took that offer for an insult and struck the Matara with the axe several times on the head and set ablaze a hut and a car parked at the homestead.
Chikore proceeded to the next homestead where he arrived with the blood-stained axe.
At this homestead, the deceased, a child saw the accused approaching.
He demanded to see the deceased’s father who once caused his arrest.
When the child’s father saw Chikoore he sensed danger and ran away with his wife leaving their child behind.
The boy was then struck with an axe by Chikoore on his forehead.
He died on the spot.
Chikoore was subsequently apprehended when he was proceeding to the next homestead.
Nehanda Radio
