A court in Nyanza District has ordered the provisional release of a 73-year-old man accused of killing his elderly neighbour, citing insufficient evidence linking him to the alleged crime.
The suspect, Mundere Vianney, a resident of Ruvuzo Village in Nyarurama Cell, Cyabakamyi Sector, had been charged with the alleged murder of 86-year-old Sarah Mukabutera, his neighbour.
Mukabutera was found injured on March 23, 2026, in her garden with a hoe nearby. She was taken to Nyanza Hospital but died two days later, on March 25, 2026.
The prosecution alleged that the incident stemmed from a long-standing land boundary dispute between the two neighbours. However, the accused acknowledged the existence of past disagreements but told the court they had been resolved in 2017, with no further conflict reported for nearly nine years.
Medical and police reports confirmed that the deceased suffered a head injury and significant bleeding but did not establish the cause or identify the person responsible. Investigators also noted that she received delayed first aid after being found.
The prosecution had requested that Mundere be placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days to allow further investigations.
In his defence, the accused denied the charges, stating that he did not meet the deceased on the day of the incident and suggesting that the injury could have been caused by the hoe found at the scene. He further argued that there was no direct evidence linking him to the alleged attack.
After reviewing the case, the court ruled that the evidence presented was not sufficient to reasonably suspect him of intentional murder. Judges noted that no witness placed him at the scene or saw him assault the deceased, while both medical and investigative reports did not implicate him.
The court consequently ordered his provisional release from Busasamana Police Station in Nyanza District, pending further investigation.
