Anambra State High Court sitting in Ogidi, Idemili Judicial Division, has sentenced a man, Chidubem Anawonwa, to death by hanging for the murder of his 74-year-old mother, Theresa Anawonwa.
The trial judge, Justice Lauretta Oyeka, held that the offence, committed on April 23, 2019, at Umuokokpa Aborji Village, Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area.
She said the offence contravened Section 271 of the Criminal Code Cap. 36, Revised Laws of Anambra State, 1991, as amended.
The prosecution, led by Chief State Counsel Mrs Obiageli Nwankiti and Principal State Counsel Ms Uju Igboeli in charge No. HID/7C/2020, told the court that the convict had a history of violence against his mother, including repeated physical abuse and threats to her life.
Evidence before the court showed that on the day of the incident, the convict, aged 37 at the time, locked his young niece in a room before assaulting his mother and eventually strangling her after inflicting multiple injuries.
In her judgment, Oyeka relied on the testimonies of five prosecution witnesses to establish the guilt of the defendant beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed his defence of alibi.
She subsequently convicted Anawonwa and sentenced him to death by hanging.
