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Murder accused, Harrison Chisala, has denied sexually assaulting, killing and decapitating 10-year-old Universal Kamushi of Lusaka West, telling the Lusaka High Court that his earlier confession was obtained through torture.
Universal’s headless body was discovered on March 24, 2023. Evidence before court indicates she was sexually assaulted before being decapitated, with her head found several metres away from the body.
But in his defence, Chisala, 27, a bricklayer of Chipata Compound, said he had “no involvement whatsoever” in the girl’s death.
He told the court that on the day in question, three girls approached him at the farm where he worked while he was eating nshima.
“They asked me to open the slide gate, but I told them I was eating. They waited for a while, then walked back to their mother’s house,” he said.
He added that after finishing his meal, he opened the gate and later saw the girls walking toward it, but proceeded to a nearby bar where he remained drinking.
“When I realised it was late, I went home and slept,” he said, adding that the following days passed normally until he was arrested while drinking at another bar.
Chisala said three men entered the bar and took him into a Land Cruiser. He testified that at Westhood Police he was beaten in the Crime Intelligence Office and told to confess or be killed.
He said he was later transferred to Lusaka Central Police Station, where officers from the Anti-Robbery Squad, known as C5, assaulted him further, causing him to hallucinate.
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He alleged he was subjected to the “Kampelwa” method—being hung like a swing while handcuffed and beaten—and that one assault left him without a tooth after he was struck in the mouth with a rifle butt.
“Because of the torture, I admitted to killing her,” he said, adding that he was then forced to point out alleged crime scenes at the farm.
During cross-examination, State Prosecutor Sipholian Phiri challenged him with his earlier police statement in which he admitted escorting Universal and two other girls on the day she disappeared.
Chisala confirmed hearing testimony from children who said he escorted the victim but said “anyone could have instructed the girls what to say.”
Judge Mwaka Mikalile reserved judgment to December 19, 2025.
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