Police in Mangochi are keeping in custody 36-year-old William Kumwembe on suspicion that he killed of his best friend Elias James at Kachala Village in Traditional Authority Mponda in the district on December 21 this year.

Mangochi Police Station Prosecutor, Sub Inspector Jack Thaulo, told Mangochi First Grade Magistrate Court on Wednesday that Kumwembe surrendered himself to police on December 22 after hearing that the deceased’s relatives were looking for him to avenge Elias James’s death.

Kumwembe denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. He said he was shocked to hear the news of James’s death because on the night of December 20 he left the deceased going to her fiancée’s house.

However, Thaulo asked for the adjournment of the case, on the basis that he only brought the accused person before court for proper remand.

“We came to take plea so that the accused should understand the reason why we are keeping him in custody and for his safety,” Thaulo told the court, adding that investigations of the matter are underway and may take at least a month.

Kakutu, therefore, adjourned the case to January 26, 2023 for further hearing, saying this will also give the state ample time to investigate the matter.

Kumwembe hails from Mtawa Village in Traditional Authority Mponda in Mangochi.