19-year-old man arrested for "murdering" wife, 16

Malawi: Police in Mzimba are holding a 19-year-old man, Benson Phiri, of Mahabu Phiri Village in Traditional Authority Chindi in the district, on suspicion of murdering his wife on Thursday, November 10, 2022.

According to Mzimba Police spokesperson Sub Inspector Peter Botha, the deceased has been identified as Pasipalenga Mphepo, 16 years old.

The suspect and Mphepo married in March of this year and have remained together as husband and wife.

According to reports, the suspect hit his wife in the head with the handle of a hoe around 20:00 hours on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.

Mphepo went unconscious and was taken to Mzimba District Hospital, where she died the next day while being treated.

The postmortem results from the district hospital revealed that the death was caused by severe head injuries sustained during the assault.

Benson Phiri will appear in court to answer a murder charge.

Meanwhile, police in the district are advising residents to seek alternative dispute resolution methods rather than enforcing the law.

Pasipalenga Mphepo, the deceased, was from Zawanje Mphepo Village in Traditional Authority Chindi in Mzimba District.