This woman showed up at her own funeral after her husband tried to have her killed

Husband tried to kill wife, she shows up at her own funeral.

(Image credit: iStock)

published 5 February 2016

This might be the craziest story you read all day: An Australian woman visiting Burundi was kidnapped by hitmen her husband had hired to kill her — and when they let her go free, she decided to confront her husband at her own funeral.

It all began when Noela Rukundo was visiting Burundi with her husband for the funeral of her stepmother. Distressed, Rukundo had gone back to her bedroom to rest when her husband, Balenga Kalala, called and advised her to take a walk and get some fresh air. Just outside the hotel, she was confronted by a gunman who made her get in a van, and blindfolded her. Rukundo was taken to a building and tied to a chair:

[Rukundo] could hear male voices, she told the ABC. One asked her, "You woman, what did you do for this man to pay us to kill you?""What are you talking about?" Rukundo demanded."Balenga sent us to kill you."They were lying. She told them so. And they laughed."You're a fool," they told her.There was the sound of a dial tone, and a male voice coming through a speakerphone. It was her husband's voice."Kill her," he said. [The Washington Post]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.