Court Sentences Man To Death For Murder Of 6-month-old Baby
A Delta State High Court sitting in Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North Local Government Area, has sentenced one Obinna Eze to death by hanging for the murder of a six-month-old baby, Chimaobi Igwe.
The defendant was arraigned before the court on a three-count charge of attempted murder, murder, and causing grievous bodily harm, punishable under sections 320, 319, and 335 respectively of the Criminal Code Laws of Delta State.
The prosecution was led by Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, the State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, with other counsel, including J.A. Otite, Solomon Funkekeme Jr., M.C. Okafor, and Mrs. Betty Adams.
A prosecution witness, Mrs. Blessing Igwe, the mother of the deceased baby, testified that on October 27, 2023, she had a disagreement regarding a missing phone belonging to the defendant, who was her co-tenant on Talitha Street, off Okpanam Road in Asaba.
She stated that the defendant attacked her with a cutlass, inflicting several cuts on her and on the head of her six-month-old baby. She further explained that she and her son were rushed to the hospital for treatment, but the baby died a week later from the injuries sustained.
A pathologist who conducted an autopsy on the deceased confirmed to the court that the cause of death was three deep penetrating injuries to the head caused by a sharp object, such as a cutlass.
In delivering judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Marcel Okoh, stated that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. He noted that the eyewitness testimony of the deceased’s mother, the evidence of the pathologist, and the confessional statement made by the defendant to the investigating police officer all established the prosecution’s case convincingly.
The court rejected the defendant’s denial during his testimony and his retraction of the confessional statement. Consequently, the court sentenced the defendant to death by hanging for the murder of Chimaobi Igwe.
