A meeting over an alleged debt ended in tragedy after a 34-year-old Shepherd Severa allegedly killed his friend before dumping the body in a gravel pit in Warren Hills, a Harare court heard on Friday.
Severa appeared before the magistrates’ court facing a murder charge over the death of 28-year-old Brian Nandana and was remanded in custody.
According to prosecutors, the events unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday when Severa allegedly contacted Nandana and asked him to meet at Pfukwa Shopping Centre in Warren Park D over an unspecified debt.
Believing he was going to settle a dispute with a friend, Nandana reportedly drove to the shopping centre, unaware it would be his final journey.
The State alleges that after entering the victim’s vehicle, Severa strangled Nandana before using a knife to slit his throat.
Prosecutors told the court that Severa then allegedly took control of the vehicle and drove towards the Warren Hills cemetery area, where he is accused of dumping the body in a gravel pit and covering it with stones in an attempt to hide the crime.
But the alleged cover-up unravelled when an informant, Ronnie Tumbare, who was supervising security guards at a nearby construction site, reportedly noticed suspicious activity in the area.
The court heard that Severa allegedly fled on foot after realising he had been seen, accidentally dropping Nandana’s iPhone 12 as he escaped.
Detectives from the CID Homicide Unit later recovered the phone and allegedly extracted text messages exchanged between the accused and the deceased shortly before the killing.
Investigators say Severa subsequently led police to the gravel pit where Nandana’s body had been concealed.
The matter remains under investigation.
