The Rivers State House of Assembly has said that with the conviction of the notorious serial killer, Gracious David-West, by a Port Harcourt High Court, last Friday, the souls of the 11 victims of his callous crimes against humanity have been atoned as justice has been served at last.
This was contained in a statement signed by the member representing Omuma Constituency in Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, last Friday, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
The statement read, “On behalf of the Rivers State House of Assembly ad-hoc committee saddled with the responsibility of unravelling serial killings that occurred in the state in 2019, of which I served as its chairman, I commend all those who ensured that the victims of Gracious David-West finally got justice.
“When this serial killer was on the prowl, there was apprehension in the entire state, because no one knew who will be his next victim. An ugly development that made the house to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the menace, which was chaired by my humble self; we swung into action immediately, and the suspect was arrested and charged to court.
“Just as you all know, Gracious David-West has been found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging in a landmark judgement delivered by Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt.
“This would serve as a deterrent to other criminal elements in our society. If they do not turn over a new leaf and become law abiding citizens, they would be brought to book, because Rivers State Government is determined to protect lives and properties.
“Finally, I can assure you that, Rivers State can longer experience anything as serial killings in our hotels, because the bill I sponsored on the floor of the house tagged, ‘INN KEEPERS AND HOTEL PROPRIETORS BILL’ will address all the loopholes that Gracious David-West relied on to murder those young ladies”, the lawmaker added.
Also speaking, a representative of International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Rivers State Branch, Barrister Kemi Osunaike, said the judgment would serve as deterrent to others who were in the habit of killing others, deliberately causing harm, or raping women, among others, in the state.
She said that with the judgment, FIDA was now relieved that justice has finally been served, adding that female lawyers would continue to fight for the protection of the rights of vulnerable women and the girl-child from predators and monsters among men.
A number of civil society organisations also hailed the conviction of the serial killer, and called on the authorities to take pragmatic action to check the incidence of violence and abuse against less privileged people, especially vulnerable women and the girl-child whose rights had been trampled upon with impunity in the past.
It would be recalled that Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, last Friday, convicted and sentenced Gracious David-West to death by hanging for the murder of 11 young women and attempted murder of one Benita Etim.
The serial killer was found guilty of committing the crimes in different hotel rooms across Rivers State between July and September, 2019.
Justice Enebeli, in his judgment, said the convict, who he described as a serial killer, had endemic misdemeanour, and deserved no mercy to live but to die by hanging following the heinous killings of innocent young girls across hotels in the state.
Justice Enebeli said this while delivering his judgement on Gracious David-West and a female hotel manager in Port Harcourt.
The Tide reports that when the convict was arrested and paraded by the police in September, 2019, he confessed to killing seven young women; one in Lagos; one in Owerri, Imo State; and five in Rivers State.
But investigations by crack police detectives had linked him to about 11 killings at different locations in the state.
According to Justice Enebeli, the prosecution has proven their case and convinced the court that the defendant, Gracious David-West, murdered the 11 young women in Port Harcourt, and also attempted to kill one Benita Etim.
The convict was charged with a 10-count charge bordering on murder and attempted murder, while the second defendant in the matter, who was discharged and acquitted, a female hotel manager, Nimi ThankGod, was charged with one-count charge of misconduct in the handling of a corpse.
The trial judge, however, said the prosecution was able to prove its case in counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 10 of the charges that the convict committed the crimes but failed to prove its case on three-count charges in nos. 6, 8, and 9, due to lack of witnesses and diligent prosecution.
He averred that the convict confessed to have committed the crimes even when he was paraded by the police just as he pleaded guilty to the crimes, adding that Gracious David-West did not show any mental impediment in court, therefore, killed those young women intentionally.
“The way he lured those late young women to hotels without resistance were still anathema, and the gory nature of the deaths of those ladies forces out tears from the people. If the police had not arrested him, he would have surpassed the world record on serial killing,” he stated.
He, therefore, found him guilty on the seven out of the 10-count charges as brought against him by the state.
The second defendant in the case, Nimi ThankGod, a manager of one of the hotels in Port Harcourt, where one of the victims was killed, was however, acquitted and discharged by the court on the grounds that the state prosecuting counsel failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused committed the offence.
ThankGod, who faced a one-count charge bordering on misconduct with a corpse, was accused of evacuating the corpse of one of the young females killed in her hotel room where she served as a manager, and dumped the body at a dumpsite along Aggrey Road in Port Harcourt in August, 2019.
The trial judge held that the prosecution failed to produce the actual person that committed the crime, saying that the real identity of the person was still unknown.
The court said that the prosecution failed to prove that the second defendant was the actual person even though she was the manager, adding that she could not be punished for an offence she has not be found culpable.
He, therefore, upheld her counsel’s submission that the court cannot convict the second defendant based on public sentiment but on convincing and verifiable evidence.
Justice Enebeli, who agreed with the second defendant’s counsel, discharged and acquainted Nimi ThankGod.
Earlier, Counsel to David-West, Barrister Vincent Chukwu, had pleaded with the court for leniency on the grounds that his client was a father of three young children.
He said his plea became imperative because the convict has three children, adding that granting him leniency would enable him take care of his young children.
Chukwu noted that he was awaiting the brief of his client, adding that depending on the directive he gets, he may proceed to appeal the judgment up to the Supreme Court, as the law provides for the protection of the rights of the convict until otherwise ordered by the apex court.
However, the state lead prosecuting counsel, Barrister Chidi Ekeh, said the first defendant (David-West) did not deserve any leniency as he never showed mercy to his victims, and urged the court to ensure justice in the matter.
Ekeh told newsmen shortly after, that the judgment would serve as a deterrent to others with such intensions of crime, adding that the second defendant was let off the hook because it was difficult to prove to the court that the accused committed the crime.
He said: “With respect to the second defendant, she escaped by the whiskers, not that the offence with which she was charged was not committed, but it was difficult to determine who exactly did it as the witnesses who would have ordinarily provided that answer suddenly disappeared from the state until date.
“I am happy that this judgment was given, it would serve as a deterrent to all such persons with such dispositions, who are always taking to crime, to know that there are consequences.”
In his view, counsel to the second defendant, Barrister Lesina Amagwa, lauded the judgement, saying that it has once again restored confidence in the Judiciary as the last hope of the ordinary citizens in the society.
He pleaded with the prosecution not to go ahead with any appeal against the judgement in respect to his client.