A 25-year-old woman has been found guilty in court of murdering her husband of eight months.

Alan Griffiths’ body was found in the veld next to a road near Colenso. He had been strangled and beaten. His wife, Thenjiwe, allegedly arranged for the killers to pose as hitch-hikers on the road near Colenso that she and her husband were to use on January 20, 2006.

Judge Rishi Seegobin was delivering his judgment when the power went out at the PMB court due to load-shedding. It was too dark to continue and Seegobin said he intended to give reasons for his decision sometime today (Tuesday).

He ordered that Thenjiwe be kept in custody. She had been out on bail.

Griffiths, an alcoholic, was a retired engineer living in Richards Bay when he met Thenjiwe, a prostitute, who had been working in a local bar.

Josias Mare, for Alan Griffiths, told the court that within a month of their marriage, Alan wanted a divorce. Thenjiwe had taken possession of his car, locked him inside the house, or out of the house, and moved in her family.

Mare told the court that Alan received a pension of about R4500 a month and that Thenjiwe would benefit from the fund if he died before her.

Alan’s main asset was the house, worth about R700,000.

Mare told the court that there had been a marked deterioration in Alan’s condition after the marriage. He said that he had explained the consequences of their marriage in community of property to Alan and Thenjiwe.

Story originally posted on the Citizen Newspaper Site