Mourners in Melbourne were left screaming in disbelief in 2015 when Noela Rukundo, an Australian resident originally from Burundi, walked into her own funeral—alive.
What began as a heartbreaking farewell turned into an almost cinematic twist, exposing betrayal, survival, and a murder-for-hire plot that backfired spectacularly.
“I heard people shouting, ‘It’s her! She’s alive!’” recalled one stunned mourner. “Some even ran away. We thought we were seeing a ghost.”
Noela had traveled to Burundi for her stepmother’s funeral, expecting family support. Instead, she was kidnapped outside her hotel. Unknown to her, the abduction was orchestrated by her own husband, Balenga Kalala, who had wired thousands of dollars to hitmen to kill her.
But the plan crumbled. The kidnappers revealed they would not kill women or children. “We don’t do that,” they reportedly told her, before disclosing that Kalala was behind the plot. They released her days later—leaving her with receipts of money transfers and taped phone calls as proof.
Armed with evidence, Noela alerted her pastor and the police. Together, they staged a dramatic confrontation. On the day of her funeral service, Kalala stood at the pulpit, weeping before mourners. Suddenly, Noela walked in.
Kalala was struck dumb. “Is this a dream?” he muttered, frozen at the sight of his wife—alive and standing before him.
Police moved swiftly, arresting him on the spot. In court, Kalala confessed to arranging the hit, claiming jealousy and insecurity drove him. He was sentenced to nine years in prison—a sentence widely criticized as too light.
“This case is a chilling reminder of the dangers victims face behind closed doors,” said a police spokesperson. “It underlines why stronger protections against intimate partner violence are urgently needed.”
Similar stories have since emerged worldwide. In 2019, a South African woman narrowly survived a near-identical murder-for-hire plot. Experts warn such cases show a global pattern of intimate partner violence turning deadly.
