St. Paul woman suing over voodoo withdraws her case

Last update: February 9, 2009 - 7:51 AM

Thanks to the power of prayer -- and a near-accident -- a St. Paul woman, Mary Nabila Muma, has withdrawn her federal lawsuit against her ex-husband. That's the one in which she said another woman was using voodoo to steal Marcellus Muma from her.

On Jan. 20, U.S. Magistrate Judge Franklin Noel recommended dismissing the case for lack of jurisdiction. But on that same day, Muma wrote a letter to the judge, withdrawing her suit.

A trip to a private retreat had changed her mind, she said. First of all, she prayed a lot and was able to forgive her ex-husband. Second, on the way to return her rental car, Muma lost control of the vehicle on a busy freeway.

"The police officers and all the people who saw the car and the scene of the accident instantly said that was divine intervention," she wrote to the court. "I feel that God wants me to withdraw the case and hand Marcellus over to him."

Muma thanked the Minnesota federal court, saying it helped her gain attention. "Now I have hundreds of people praying for me," she said.

She and her ex-husband are originally from Cameroon.

"I do not know how God intends to solve this mystery and wipe my tears," she wrote. "All I know is God will answer my prayer in his own time."

JAMES WALSH