A man from Kericho County was recently sentenced to death by the High Court after he was found guilty of murder.
Richard Kipyegon Langat alias Kichokio was convicted of a murder which he is said to have committed in three years ago.
The court heard that Kipyegon and the mother of the woman he is accused of killing were having an illicit affair despite her father being alive.
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The deceased according to the death-sentence delivered on November 5 was always opposed to the affair which reportedly angered Kipyegon.
The trial court further noted that there was enough evidence that Kipyegon used to issue death threats to the deceased because she was opposed to the illicit affair.
One of the deceased siblings is said to have moved out of their house because he was opposed to the their mother's relationship with Kipyegon.
In his mitigation, the convict stated that he committed the offense while intoxicated, a state he said impaired his judgment.
Through his counsel, Kipyegon pleaded with the court for leniency stating that he is married to two wives and that he has eleven children who are all minors within school-going age.
The court further heard that the accused person is the sole breadwinner of his family and that since his arrest; the second wife has run away and left the children with their aged grandmother while some of his other children have dropped out of school.
A social inquiry report filed in court by the probation officer, on 7/10/2021, said that Kipyegon is a first offender and a young father to several children who on the contrary did not show remorse for the crime he committed.
The court in its sentencing report noted that, “the accused premeditated the murder and he executed it in cold blood. The motive of the murder was that the deceased was opposed to the love affair between the accused person and the deceased’s mother.”
While referring to the case of Muruatetu, Judge A.N Ongeri stated that the mandatory nature of the death penalty is unlawful. However, the same has not been abolished but reserved for deserving cases.
“It is my considered opinion that this is a deserving case for the death penalty. The Accused person who used to carry a weapon used to threaten the deceased with death and he made good his threats by attacking the deceased with the said weapon in cold blood.
The Accused person did not raise the issue of intoxication in his defense something which came up during mitigation. I accordingly sentence the Accused person to death as by law required. He has a right of appeal to the Court of Appeal within fourteen (14) days of this date.” reads the sentence in part.
