A 65-year-old man from Bulawayo who is alleged to have fatally stabbed a suspected thug who tried to rob him of his belongings at a recreational park in the city was remanded out of custody to May 8 on $1000 bail after a court appearance yesterday.
The sexagenarian, John Gordon Crause of Westondale (pictured above) is now facing murder charges after he heinously knifed the now deceased in the ribcage and he died on the spot at Centenary Park. It is alleged that Crause was listening to music on his mobile phone through earphones when the deceased unexpectedly bumped into him and demanded to converse with him.
After Crause ignored him, the suspected thug reportedly turned violent and ordered the now accused to hand over his cellphone, cash and a bag. This resulted in a scuffle between the two, leading Crause to fatally stab the suspected robber.
The incident occurred on April 6 at around 2pm.
“The accused person stabbed the deceased on the left side of the ribcage and he died on the spot,” state prosecutor, Terrence Chakabuda told the court.
Subsequently, a report was made at Khumalo Police Post, leading to Crause’s arrest and the body of the deceased was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for post-mortem.
As part of the bail conditions, Bulawayo magistrate Tinashe Tashaya ordered Crause to continue staying at his given residence and also warned him against interfering with state witnesses until the matter is brought to finality. Crause will also report once a week at the West Commonage Police Station.
Although circumstances surrounding the dispute were not mentioned in state papers, a well-placed source privy to the investigations told the state-owned Chronicle that the deceased confronted Crause, snatched his cellphone and bag before he fled from the scene.
Realising that he had been robbed, the accused reportedly pursued and caught up with the alleged robber. Upon catching the suspected thug, Crause allegedly recovered his bag before taking out a silver kitchen knife and stabbed the robber twice on the chest
The deceased, who was bleeding profusely, reportedly staggered into the park while trying to stop the blood and crying out for help. A passerby reportedly reacted to the cries, tried to give first aid help but that couldn’t pay dividends as the unidentified robber died on the spot.

State Media