- Most of the women were killed by persons suspected to be their intimate partners
- Otieno’s lawyer argued that the 13 years he had already spent in jail was enough lesson for his crime
Image: FILE
A man who lured a call girl into a lodge and stabbed her to death will serve 25 years in jail.
Gerals Okoth stabbed the girl while she was still naked.
Court of appeal rejected his appeal, upholding the 25 years handed to him by the High Court in 2018.
The appellate decision was given on January 25, 2024.
This decision comes against a backdrop of femicide cases in the country.
On Saturday, gender activists held nationwide protests against the spate of killings.
Most of the women were killed by persons suspected to be their intimate partners.
Otieno’s lawyer argued that the 13 years he had already spent in jail was enough lesson for his crime.
He has been in jail since 2010, when he got apprehended.
The details of his case were that on June 19, 2010, he had spent time with Davina Amenya alias Kwamboka at a bar and lodging in Kisii. He then stabbed the woman on the neck.
“The body was found by hotel workers lying naked in a pool of blood, on the floor of a hotel room at Obomo Bar and Lodging in Keroka. It had a single stab wound on the neck,” the court papers read.
One of the prosecution witnesses, a worker at the facility said the hotel room was locked from the outside.
The matter was later reported at the Keroka Police Station and investigations started immediately.
Otieno was arrested at the Kaplong matatu stage by Chief Inspector Barnfort Surwa, when he noticed that he was acting suspiciously and had blood stains on his shirt.
He was found in possession of human hair and two knives, one was stained with blood.
Further investigations confirmed that the blood samples found on the knives, the human hair and the blood sample on his shirt matched the DNA profile of Amenya.
This was part of the evidence that persuaded the trial court that the appellant was guilty of the murder and convicted him.
“During the sentence hearing, the prosecutor informed the court that the appellant was a first offender. His counsel expressed remorse on behalf of his client although the trial court found that it was not sincere since the appellant insisted that he did not commit the offence during the sentence hearing," the papers read.
"Upon considering the circumstances, the learned judge imposed a sentence of imprisonment for twenty-five (25) years.”
During the appeal, the man opted not to go after the conviction, only appealing the sentence.
However, the judges upheld the sentence, only asserting that the time should start counting from 2010.
This means that he has some 11 more years to go before his sentence is discharged and he is free.