A man, 24, has been sentenced to 90 years in prison after he was found guilty of raping, robbing, and killing a Swedish missionary at Milimani Estate in Kitale town.
Chris Wanjala and his accomplice, Dominic Nyongesa, the accused, were charged over the brutal murder of Ms. Lilian Bourcat, 74.
Ms. Bourcat was running a children’s home and doing charity work in the area.
Wanjala’s sentence was determined, but that of his accomplice was deferred pending age assessment before the ruling is delivered on January 9.
“The deceased stayed alone, and we were two workers, but we usually left for our respective homes after the day’s work. I raised an alarm, and the police moved the body to the mortuary,” Ms. Philomena Chepkorir, 27, a worker at Ms. Bourcat’s home, testified.
“Swabs were collected from the deceased and matched with the first accused person’s samples. The money also recovered from him was the proceeds of the robbery, and he knew the home because he was an employee of the deceased until two months to the day of the offense,” she said.
Wanjala, in his defense, asked the court for forgiveness, saying he is a young man without a child.
The chief magistrate dismissed his plea, considering the aggravated circumstances of the offense.
“There is a need for the sentencing to be deterrent, retributive, and rehabilitative, taking into account the brutality used to commit the offense,” said Mr. N’garng’ar as he delivered the 90-year prison term.
Wanjala has 14 days to appeal the sentence.
Sam Oduor is the founder and one of the editors at WKT. With a strong background in Communication and Journalism, Sam is an experienced digital media expert currently building a team of young professionals dedicated to telling the story of our community in a unique, authentic way.
ati young without a kid?
lame excuse.
but why kill.