Trial of woman accused of murdering step-daughter postponed

Nyarugenge Intermediate Court has postponed to next year the trial of a woman suspected linked to the well-publicised death of a five-year-old girl, who was earlier this year found drowned in a water tank from the family home. The suspect, Marie-Chantal Mukanzabarushimana, was a stepmother to Elsie Akeza Rutiyombya (the deceased) and lived in the same home where the deceased died in Busanza Cell, Kanombe Sector in Kicukiro District. ALSO READ: Accident or homicide? The tragic death of Elsie Akeza Akeza died on January 14, and her stepmother was arrested shortly after, following a preliminary investigation that investigators said linked her to Akeza’s death. During the hearing which took place on December 7, the presiding judge ruled to postpone the trial noting that it was late to continue with hearings. Initially, her hearing was supposed to start at 8 am but her case wasn't mentioned until 5 pm yet she was on the charge sheet read in court. Mukanzabarushimana was present in court but without a lawyer. Previously, during the pre-detention hearing that took place on January 27, the prosecution said that they have evidence to the effect that the suspect planned the murder of Akeza, including those based on her maid’s account that she sent her several times to the shop. According to the maid’s account, the suspect wanted to get a window where she would be alone with the victim and when she got it, she drowned the child in the tank. The prosecutor had said that they have various accounts to the effect that Mukanzabarushimana was in conflict with her husband over his relationships with other women with whom he had children. Akeza was born out of wedlock between Agathe Niragire and Florian Rutiyomba but the latter went on to marry Mukanzabarushimana. Mukanzabarushimana denies having a role in Akeza’s death saying that the time she was discovered dead, she was in hospital and had an alibi to the effect, among other reasons. The court will hear Mukanzabarushimana’s case on February 9, 2023.

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Trial of woman accused of murdering step-daughter postponed