Musanze High Court handed various sentences to two people who were on Tuesday found guilty of murder and defilement of a Musanze teenage girl.

Theogene Munyaneza was jailed for life while his accomplice, Siborurema, was handed 22 years in jail.

The duo, Munyaneza, 20, and Siborurema,17, are residents of Nyange Sector.

They were accused of defiling and murdering Xaverina Nyirangambi Nikuze, 14, who was also a resident of Nyange Sector, Musanze District.

The horrific incident happened on Christmas Eve when the suspects took the victim from Nyange trading centre and led her to a nearby forest where they defiled and killed her, according to prosecution.

The case, which was heard at the Nyange Sector grounds, attracted hundreds of residents, including family members and relatives of the deceased.

Court said the hearing was brought "closer to the people” to let area residents follow proceedinds and draw lessons in order to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Earlier, prosecution recounted the gruesome details of the case, telling court that after the defilement, the convicts used a knife to sever one of the ears of the victim before stoning her to death.

Prosecutor Gaspard Rudatinya argued that the cruelty exhibited by the duo aggravated the crime and requested court to hand down a life sentence with special provisions to Munyaneza and a lighter sentence of life in jail to Siborurema on grounds that he was a minor.

Handing over the verdicts, presiding Judge Isabelle Riziki, said the duo was involved in acts of savagery.

She handed life sentence to Munyaneza on grounds that he pleaded guilty and handed himself to Police in Uganda where he had fled to after committing the crime.

Speciose Nyirabikari, the mother to the deceased, welcomed the court’s decision.

"I think the court’s decision is suitable. Those who cut short my daughter’s life should also face tough times in jail,” she said.

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