By Etse Kassim
A Lagos High Court presided by Justice Raliat Adebiyi has sentenced one Katungi Philips to death for killing Justina James, his wife.
The condemned Philips, who is expected to appear before the hangman’s noose, stabbed his wife for allegedly infecting him with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
Delivering her judgement, the judge said Philips failed to prove his innocence in the murder brought against him by the state government.
“In view of the mandatory sentence for murder in Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. You, Katungi Phillips, is hereby sentenced to death, may the Lord has mercy on your soul,” the judge said.
Earlier, O.R. Ahmed-Muili, the prosecution counsel, said the convict committed the offence at 3:21am. on July 26, 2014 at his residence in Pako House, Oniru, Lagos.
According to her, the convict had been married to the deceased for over two years before the ugly incident.
She said Philips stabbed his wife over her body with a kitchen knife after discovering that she had infected him with the deadly virus.
“After discovering that she had infected him with the virus, the deceased allegedly wanted to leave him for another man. He stabbed his wife with a kitchen knife during the ensuing argument and he also attempted to kill himself by stabbing himself in the abdomen with the same knife,” the prosecution counsel told the court.
In his defense, Philips told the court he was angry, adding that his wife was stabbed while they were arguing over his missing mobile phone.“We were arguing over my missing phone, she stabbed me with the kitchen knife, I grabbed the knife from her hands and stabbed her once,” the convict said in an emotion-laden voice.
