BY KUSEKWA KUSEKWA
The High Court at Manyara has acquitted a resident of Babati District, one Elia Daniel Mumy, who was charged with killing a 13-year-old female pupil at Ayatsea Primary School.
Judge Devota Kamuzora ordered Mumy freed after the prosecution failed to prove the murder charge against him beyond reasonable doubt, as required by law. The state had produced ten witnesses and 16 exhibits.
“I find that the prosecution has not established the charge against the accused (Mumy) and I accordingly acquit him forthwith. He is to be released from custody unless lawfully held for another cause,” the Judge declared in a judgement delivered recently.
She noted that the prosecution’s case rested largely on DNA profiling, derived from samples collected from the crime scene and from the deceased, compared with the DNA profile obtained from the blood sample of the accused. The crime was said to have occurred on April 29, 2025.
According to the findings from the Government Chemist, the DNA obtained from the accused’s blood matched the DNA recovered from the undergarment and the khaki-coloured skintight, both allegedly worn by the deceased. It also matched that from the multi-coloured skintight allegedly recovered from the crime scene and the vaginal swab of the deceased.
“Surprisingly, the boxer undergarment, which was purportedly worn by the accused and recovered from the scene, did not yield a matching DNA profile. This discrepancy raises questions regarding the reliability and integrity of the DNA analysis as a whole,” the Judge said.
