A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after the Kisumu High Court found him guilty of murdering his aunt following a domestic disagreement.
Justice Joe M. Omido convicted Kevin Omondi Nyapietho over the February 21, 2023, killing of Gaudencia Otieno Aoko at Kapuonja Sub-location in Kisumu West Sub-County, Kisumu County.
The prosecution, led by Prosecution Counsel Mercy Mutheu Muema, had charged Nyapietho with murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
The court heard that the incident happened after the convict became involved in a confrontation with the deceased and his two cousins during supper.
According to evidence presented in court, Nyapietho scolded the deceased and the two children, accusing them of planning to poison him.
He subsequently left the house and locked the three inside from outside.
The court was told that Nyapietho later returned and broke open the door, which had also been locked from inside by one of his secondary school-going cousins.
He then attacked his aunt using a jembe, striking her on the shoulder and head with its sharp edge.
The injuries proved fatal.
A pathologist who testified as one of the six prosecution witnesses conducted a post-mortem examination and established that Aoko died from a severe head injury caused by multiple lacerative wounds to the head.
The court also heard that the deceased had taken Nyapietho into her home after the death of his parents and had assumed a parental role in his life.
Court Finds Murder Proven Beyond Reasonable Doubt
In its judgment, the court found that Nyapietho was the person who unlawfully assaulted Aoko and inflicted the injuries that ultimately caused her death.
Justice Omido ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt all the essential elements of the offence of murder under Section 203 of the Penal Code.
The court consequently convicted Nyapietho and sentenced him to 35 years’ imprisonment.
Nyapietho was informed of his right to appeal against both the conviction and sentence within 14 days.
The case brings to a close a prosecution arising from the fatal domestic confrontation that claimed the life of Aoko in February 2023.
