Gweru killer convicted of double murder, attempted murder

By Dumisani Ndlovu

A Gweru man, Peter Dube, has been convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder by the High Court, following a violent incident in April 2021 where he fatally shot his second wife's alleged lover and best friend, and critically injured his wife and her sister.

Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, who presided over the case, dismissed Dube's defence that he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the incident, stating that the accused acted with full intent when he committed the crimes.

"In my view, as a psychiatrist, a mental patient must exhibit consistent signs of mental illness. Where such consistency of the illness is absent, it could be demonstrative of pretentiousness," Justice Mutevedzi said, quoting Dr Mawere, a psychiatrist who testified in the case.

Justice Mutevedzi added, "The accused knew that he had killed Gamu and Shelton. He also thought he had killed Nyasha and Nyaradzo. His escape from this jurisdiction, among all other aspects of the crimes, puts that beyond doubt."

Regarding the defence's argument that Dube was suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy, Justice Mutevedzi said, "The evidence led during trial demonstrated that even if it were to be accepted that Dr Poskotch's conclusions are correct, the accused could still not escape liability."

"The requirements of the defence under s 227 do not end with a finding of the presence of mental disorder. They are that where such disorder is present, it must be shown that it deprived the accused from appreciating the nature of his conduct or that the conduct was unlawful or both," Justice Mutevedzi explained.

In his verdict, Justice Mutevedzi stated, "When he shot Shelton and Gamu and inflicted near mortal injuries on Nyasha and Nyaradzo, he did so deliberately and with full appreciation of what he was doing. He was not afflicted by any mental disorder which could have prevented him from appreciating the nature and quality of his actions."

"I reject the accused's defence not only as a futile attempt to escape responsibility of his criminal behaviour but as a palpably false story," Justice Mutevedzi concluded.

The state managed to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the crime was indeed committed with actual intent and premeditation, hence the accused is found guilty of two counts of murder and attempted murder.

Dube is expected to be sentenced on the 26th of November 2025, and could face a lengthy prison term for his crimes.