Karusi : a woman sentenced to life j’ai for the murder of her husband

SOS Médias Burundi

Karusi, November 7, 2026 — The Karusi First Instance Court sentenced Josephine Ntakarutimana to life imprisonment on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, for the murder of her husband, Salvator Mburizi. The court also ordered her to pay 20 million Burundian francs in damages to the victim’s two children born out of wedlock.

Tried in the act, Josephine Ntakarutimana was prosecuted for fatally stabbing her husband in Rubuga village, in the district of Karusi, Gitega Province, in central Burundi.

According to the evidence presented in court, the murder occurred within a context of marital tensions, notably linked to Salvator Mburizi’s extramarital affairs. He had been having relationships outside of his marriage and had two children out of wedlock with Joséphine Ntakarutimana. This situation was the source of tension within the couple.

Before the court, the accused admitted to the charges against her. She also acknowledged that her relationship with her husband had been fraught for a long time.

In its closing arguments, the prosecution requested a life sentence. Joséphine Ntakarutimana, for her part, asked the judges for leniency and a reduced sentence.

After deliberation, the court followed the prosecution’s recommendations and handed down a life sentence. It also ordered the accused to pay 20 million Burundian francs in damages to the victim’s two children born out of wedlock.

Josephine Ntakarutimana has no children. According to reports, the court decision was welcomed by several residents of Rubuga village.

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The town center of Karusi, in Gitega province, central Burundi, where a woman was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her husband (SOS Médias Burundi)