Woman Murders Her Husband To Get Insurance Policy

On Thursday, South Africa’s Durban High Court sentenced a woman, Analidia Dias Bella Dos Santos, 44, to life in prison for the murder of her husband in February 2018.

Santos’ accomplice, Charmaine Khumalo (48), was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Regional Spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) KZN Division, announced in a statement on Friday, April 5, 2024, that the woman was also convicted of undermining the administration of justice.

Dosantos’ lesbian partner and co-accused, Teagen Allison Brown, died before the trial.

Dosantos plotted with her lover, Brown, to murder her husband, Mark Buttle, and the plan was carried out with the assistance of Brown’s neighbour, Khumalo.

According to reports, the murder was motivated by an insurance policy, as well as Dosantos’ involvement with Brown, who was 25 years old.

The three women stabbed Buttle 53 times in the neck while he was in his car.

This occurred after he was allegedly brought to the scene by Dosantos under the guise of working out marital troubles.

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“The deceased, Mark Buttle, and Dosantos were married to each other and during their marriage, Buttle had acquired life insurance policies where Dosantos was the beneficiary,” the statement read.

“She was aware of at least one of these policies. At some point, their marriage broke down and Dosantos left their marital home and moved in with Brown, and they began an extramarital relationship.

“The two women planned to kill Buttle so that Dosantos could collect his life insurance. They enlisted the assistance of their neighbour, Khumalo.

“On the day of the incident, Dosantos lured Buttle to the Newlands East area under the pretence of them rekindling their marriage. They drank wine together and engaged in sexual intercourse.

“Thereafter, when Buttle was in a vulnerable state, he was stabbed 53 times. Dosantos then ran to a nearby house saying that she and her husband had been hijacked. The women were arrested after police investigations uncovered messages on their phones, relating to the planning of Buttle’s murder.

“In aggravation of the sentence, Advocate Khatija Essack presented the court with a Victim Impact Statement compiled by Buttle’s father and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Nadi Mofokeng.

“In his statement, the man said that losing a grown child was such a tragedy. He said that his wife’s health had declined following their son’s death. Dosantos was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 05 years imprisonment for defeating the administration of justice (reporting the false hijacking).

“In sentencing Khumalo, the court deviated from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment saying that she was not the mastermind of the murder and that she had co-operated with police upon her arrest. Khumalo was thus sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for murder.

“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. We hope that the sentences metered out will have the desired deterrent effect. We commend the work done by the Prosecution and SAPS in securing this conviction.”

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli