Witch Burning Suspects Charged; Could Face Death Penalty

Two people were charged on Monday by police in Papua New Guinea for the disturbing killing of a woman who was tortured and burned alive in front of hundreds of spectators because of accusations she practiced witchcraft.

Janet Ware and Andrew Watea were charged with murder for the February 6 killing of Kepari Leniata. The two suspects could face the death penalty as murder in Papua New Guinea is a capital offense, the Associated Press reports.

The victim, a 20-year-old mother, was stripped nude, tortured mercilessly with a hot iron rod, and then doused in gasoline before she was burned alive at a trash site by an angry mob. Police at the Western Highlands provincial capital of Mount Hagen, where the murder took place, say they were powerless to stop the blood thirsty crowd which included young children. 

News of the witch burning spread like wildfire as international news wires circulated the story. Gory photographs of the murder were printed on the cover of the South Pacific island's most popular newspaper. The cruel act of tribal justice was condemned by diplomats from around the world.

Authorities say the two suspected acted in retaliation. They say that Leniata was accused of using sorcery leading to the death of a 6-year-old boy that was hospitalized at the time. Ware and Watea are the dead boy's mother and uncle.

Over forty people have been apprehended but were later released because investigators lacked evidence, authorities say. But they caution that more arrests could be on the way.