Convicted Child Murderer Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Stabbing 11-Year-Old 66 Times
- Conwell Mongezi Chauke stabbed little Kgothatso Tshabalala because her mother rejected his advances
- Chauke was found guilty of kidnapping the 11-year-old and stabbing her 66 times, resulting in her death
- The judge described the 34-year-old as a danger to society and handed him a life sentence
GAUTENG - A convicted child murderer has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Gauteng High Court.
Conwell Mongezi Chauke (34) received the sentence for the murder of 11-year-old Kgothatso Tshabalala in December 2020.
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He was also sentenced to six years' imprisonment for kidnapping.
Girl stabbed after mother rejected killer's advances
Chauke was convicted for the murder of the 11-year-old after her mother rejected his advances, the court heard during his trial.
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The 34-year-old was in a prayer group with the child's mother but grew angry with her because he believed she was taking him for a fool.
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According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, Chauke then threatened the mother in a phone call before kidnapping 11-year-old Kgothatso.
"He lured the child under the pretence that he wanted to collect his belongings from her home. When they got into her home, Chauke stabbed the child 66 times, covered her body with linen on top of her bed and fled the scene," Mahanjana explained.
Chauke was a danger to society
Two days after the murder, Chauke handed himself over to police and pled guilty to murder in court.
He denied the charge of kidnapping but was eventually convicted for it. His defence argued for a lesser sentence because it was his first offence for a violent crime.
During his sentencing, Magistrate Judge Jacobus Johannes Strijdom described him as a danger to society, arguing that he was and that it was the court's responsibility to ensure society's safety from people like him.
Axe murderer sought by police
The South African Police Service is on the hunt for a man who murdered his 18-month-old baby with an axe.
The man also attempted to kill his wife and mother-in-law before he fled the scene, Briefly News earlier reported.
Paramedics rushed the injured parties to hospital, but sadly, the baby passed away as an extent of the wounds.
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Source: Briefly News
