A High Court sitting in Akwukwu-Igbo, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State has sentenced Obinna Eze (m) to death by hanging for the murder of a six-month-old baby, Chimaobi Igwe.
The convicted Eze was arraigned on three charges: 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 State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, led the prosecution.
The prosecution called three witnesses and tendered two exhibits to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, while the convict was represented by his Counsel, P.C. Onubah Esq., without presenting any witnesses.
The first prosecution witness (PW1), Mrs Blessing Igwe, the mother of the deceased baby, told the court that on October 27, 2023, she had a disagreement over a missing phone belonging to the convict, her co-tenant at Talitha Street, off Okpanam Road, Asaba.
She testified that during the altercation, the convict attacked her with a cutlass, inflicting several cuts on her and on the head of her six-month-old baby.
She further told the court that she and her son were rushed to the hospital for treatment, but the baby succumbed to his injuries a week later.
The second prosecution witness (PW2), Dr Emmanuel Egbuduka, a pathologist, conducted an autopsy on the baby and informed the court that the cause of death was three deep penetrating injuries to the head caused by a sharp object, such as a cutlass.
Delivering judgment after hearing from both sides, Justice Marcel Okoh stated that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge cited the eyewitness testimony of the deceased’s mother, the pathologist’s evidence, and the convict’s confessional statement made to the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) as establishing the prosecution’s case convincingly.
The court rejected the convict’s denial during his testimony and his retraction of the confessional statement.
Justice Marcel Okoh, therefore, sentenced Obinna Eze to death by hanging for the murder of Chimaobi Igwe.
The Guardian
