A Trans Nzoia man, who according to court records had been hired to kill neighbour over land dispute, has been found guilty by the court.
This was after he allegedly attacked her at midnight and strangled her to death.
Titus Murunga Eric had been accused of causing the death of Veronica Wafubwa on the April 20, 2012 at Kolongolo village within Trans Nzoia County
Following his denial to committing the offense, the case was set to proceed and several witnesses were called to testify. The trial court heard that Veronica had been attacked on 20th August 2012 at midnight.
One of the neighbours told the court that he was approached with a request to help the deceased who had been attacked at midnight. And shortly afterwards, he heard screams emanating from the deceased home and he rushed only to find that the deceased was naked had been killed by strangling.
One of the witnesses told the court that she screamed at her house when she was informed that the deceased had been attacked although she could not go there since she was afraid.
She further stated that she went to the deceased home the following day at around 6:00 am and found someone sleeping next to the deceased who had been strangled to death and was naked.
The man uncovered himself and she recognized him as the neighbour before he took off after seeing her.
According to the medical report, the deceased died as a result of a fracture of the spinal column.
A village elder from Kolongolo market said that he was called by the late Chief Inspector Galgalo then the OCS Kitale on August 30, 2012, to witness the accused person making his confession before him. In his confession, he narrated how he and two others killed the deceased.
He revealed that he was tasked by one of their relatives to eliminate the deceased because of a land dispute. The said confession was made voluntarily without any coercion or threat
When placed on his defense the accused gave unsworn evidence denying the charge. He said that he was a bricklayer by profession and that while working at Maridadi, he went drinking alcohol when police ambushed and shot in the air forcing people to take off.
He stopped leading to his arrest. He said that he was beaten and frog matched to Kwanza police station where he was accused of killing someone.
Thereafter, he was taken to the hospital as he had been injured and later charged. He said that he knew the deceased who had brought her up for 16 years and that he was not the one who had been seen at the scene.
“The sum total of the confession points out to the fact that the accused and his accomplice raped and murdered the deceased. In a nutshell, they were hired assassins. Although for some reason the rest were not arrested and charged, it is clear that they were paid to commit the act,” the judgment read in part.
The court noted that there was sufficient evidence that the accused actually took off and went into hiding after the heinous act. At the time of his arrest, he attempted to flee but was apprehended.
“The court is therefore satisfied that the case has been proved by the prosecution beyond any shadow of a doubt. The accused is hereby convicted under the provisions of Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code,” the judgement read further.
