Arusha. The High Court has sentenced Hamis Shija to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering his pregnant wife, Diana John, and their child, Yakobo Hamis, in a case described as horrific and cruel.
Court documents show that Hamis slit his wife’s throat with a machete, then cut open her stomach with a razor blade, and removed their twin foetuses.
He told the court that a traditional healer had convinced him that his wife was bewitching him and blocking his chances of becoming wealthy. The court also heard that he boiled parts of one foetus in a pot. He later killed his son, Yakobo, by slitting his throat.
The murders occurred on January 28 and 29, 2024, at Misangi Village in Uyogo Ward, Urambo District, Tabora Region.
Delivering the judgment, High Court Judge Zaiban Mango said the evidence left no doubt that Hamis committed the offences. He was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.
Hamis was charged before the High Court, Tabora Sub-Registry, with two counts of murder contrary to sections 196 and 197 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution told the court that Diana was the accused’s wife and Yakobo their child. It presented 12 witnesses and five exhibits, while the accused testified as the sole defence witness.
Although there were no eyewitnesses to the killings, the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence and the accused’s confessions. Witnesses who saw the bodies confirmed that both victims had deep cuts.
A key witness, Elisha Paulo—the accused’s stepson—recounted the events of January 27 and 28. He testified that the accused, his mother and Yakobo slept in the bedroom, while he and another child, Sumbu, slept on the veranda. He said the accused returned home late that night but did not wake him to open the door as usual.
The next morning, Elisha heard groaning from the bedroom. The accused later emerged alone. Diana did not come out, and the children were barred from entering the room.
Elisha said the accused admitted to killing their mother, citing a misunderstanding. Later that evening, Elisha found Yakobo dead on the bed with a neck wound, while Diana lay on the floor.
He testified that he saw the accused boiling what appeared to be meat, and was asked to collect the fat in a bottle because it was “rare and valuable.” The accused then instructed him to help bury Diana’s body outside the house.
Relatives later arrived at the home, but the accused refused to let the children out. Villagers eventually forced the door open and rescued them.
Hamis denied killing his family, claiming he had travelled to Mnande in Kaliua and returned to find the bodies. He alleged that armed villagers had frightened him and that he locked himself inside to protect the children.
Judge Mango ruled that Elisha’s testimony, corroborated by other witnesses, provided strong circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the killings. The court also accepted an additional police statement in which Hamis confessed to the murders, claiming he believed his family practised witchcraft.
The judge ruled that the defence had failed to cast doubt on the prosecution’s case and sentenced Hamis to death by hanging.
