The family of a boda boda from Siaya County, who was murdered over his girlfriend, can breath a sigh of relief following the conviction and sentencing of those behind his death.
Ronald Otieno from Sigomere village was killed in November 2018 after he was run over by a vehicle.
Benjamin Odhiambo and Vincent Owuor, who were aboard the killer vehicle, were convicted of murder on Wednesday, December 15, contrary to section 203 as read with section 204 of the penal code.
They were all sentenced to life imprisonment.
Forensic investigations from the homicide detectives helped in nailing the suspects who the DCI says had stage-managed the tragedy to appear like a normal accident.
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Siaya High Court judge R. E. Aburili stated that the court was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the two indeed murdered the deceased.
The incident which happened in November 2018 was fuelled by a confrontation between the deceased Otieno and his girlfriend Mercy Akinyi.
The two had gone for a merrymaking outing at Bungasi trading centre in the same county when the two convicts escaped with Otieno's lover.
The deceased had picked a quarrel with Akinyi when she finally opted to board the two convicts' vehicle leaving her boyfriend.
Otieno in a show of rage and determined to get her lover back gave the car a chase together with his brother who was onboard his motorbike.
"...the deceased together with his brother flagged down the vehicle but the driver had no intention to stop. He accelerated and hit the motorbike from the back, tossing the pillion passenger to a nearby ditch and the deceased on the road," DCI said.
The two convicts are said to have alighted from their vehicle where they observed that Otieno's brother had died but he was still alive.
It is then that they went back to the car and reversed their car to run over Otieno several times to his death.
After confirming he was dead, they drove off thinking Otieno and the brother had died.
"Miraculously, the deceased’s brother who was tossed into the ditch did not die. He only faked his death to escape the wrath of the vicious men, who killed his brother in cold blood.
"The badly shaken victim who thanked God for saving his life listened from the ditch as the vehicle run over his brother’s body several times before it finally left," the DCI added.
It is from there that investigations were launched leading to the arrest of the two.
The results of the tests from the DCI forensic lab and the government chemist confirmed that the vehicle overrun the body of the deceased severally, after traces of the deceased’s brain matter and DNA was found beneath the vehicle
