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)

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:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jeva Lange

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.