A twenty-one-year-old domestic worker, Emmanuel Akpan, has been sentenced to death by hanging by a High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, for killing his employer, Mrs Febisola Adedayo.

The defendant was convicted after being found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and murder, contrary to Sections 324, 316 and 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

In a case filed by the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Akpan and his co-defendant, Goodness James Akpe, had on March 29, 2021, attacked the deceased, a food vendor in her residence at Ifankanbale Street, Sabo, Ondo town, the headquarters of the Ondo West Local Council of the state.

The prosecution told the court that the duo conspired to kill Adedayo after inflicting machete cuts on her neck, which led to her death.

Investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly murdered their employer to steal valuables, including Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards, phones and a generator, before attempting to burn the house to destroy evidence.

Justice Rotimi Olamide, in his judgment, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt on the charge of murder.

According to the judge, the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were credible and consistent under cross-examination, adding that the confessional statements of the defendants further strengthened the case against them.

The judge rejected the denial by the defendants, noting that their claims were contradicted by evidence before the court.

Justice Olamide described the act as cruel, inhuman and undeserving of mercy, especially considering that the deceased had once assisted the defendants.

However, the court discharged and acquitted the first defendant, Goodness James Akpe, for lack of sufficient evidence linking him directly to the killing, while Akpan was found guilty of murder .

“The sentence of the court upon you, Emmanuel Akpan, is that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul,” the judge declared.