For Besoeker[WYFF4] Maesaiah Thabane, the first lady of the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho, always knew how to make an entrance.
After weeks in hiding in South Africa, allegedly helped by a recently appointed spokesman who sneaked her away in a government-issue car, Thabane crossed back into Lesotho Feb. 4, passing a phalanx of security forces, and promptly handed herself over to special police.
Later that evening, crown prosecutors charged Thabane with the 2017 murder of Lesotho's previous first lady -- her husband's previous wife -- Lipolelo Thabane, and the attempted murder of another woman.
Maesaiah Thabane was taken into custody.
The first lady's legal team didn't respond to phone calls and text messages from CNN over several days.
The shocking details of the case have gripped this country of fewer than 2 million people, which is entirely surrounded by South Africa, forced Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to promise his resignation and opened the lid on the murky power politics that have long dominated Lesotho's culture.
Unknown assailants gunned down Lipolelo Thabane outside her house in June 2017, just two days before her estranged husband was inaugurated for his second term as PM.
Lipolelo Thabane was shot dead two days before her estranged husband’s inauguration for a second term as PM.
The couple had been separated for some time, but had never formally divorced, and a court had ruled that Lipolelo should keep the benefits and perks that came with the position of first lady.
Her murder paved the way for Maesaiah, who had been in a relationship with the prime minister for several years, to take on that role.