Tina Amanda
Lawyer to t 2nd Defendant, Nimi ThankGod, has withdrawn from the murder trial of the alleged Serial killer, Gracious David West, who is standing trial for the murder and attempted murder of several ladies in different hotels in Port Harcourt before a Rivers State High Court.
During the trial proceedings on Friday, Edward Obioko, Counsel to 2nd Defendant who is facing trial on a one-count charge of disrespect to corpse found in their hotel room, made an application before the court to withdraw from the matter due to his health challenges and presented Lezina Amegwa to the court as Counsel that will take over from him.
The presiding Judge, Justice Adolphus Enebeli, after listening to the Counsel explanation granted him his request.
Testifying before the court, Mr Samuel Kombonimi, father of Linda Warifa Samuel, one of the ladies allegedly killed by West on the 6th September in a hotel located at Location Road, Oyigbo local government area, told the court that late Linda Samuel was his first daughter.
He added that he got a call on the 7th September to come down to the hotel where his daughter was murdered and on getting there, he was taken to the mortuary to identify the corpse of his daughter.
Also Read: NPFL: Enyimba gun down Rivers United in Aba
He said that the Managing Director of the hotel told him that his daughter’s killer is Gracious David West and the pictures of West was shown to him through the suspect’s Facebook page.
Also, Obile Kingsley, Manager of a hotel located at Rumuodomaya in Obio-Akpor local government area, told to the court that on 16th September, Gracious David West checked in to the hotel with a false name “Mr Benedict” in the company of late Kelechi Bridget Onuoha.
Obile said further that on 17th September, at about some minutes past noon, the receptionist called his attention that he has been calling the phone line of room one but no response.
He said he ordered the receptionist to go and knock on the door of room one, which he did, and yet no response came, only a loud noise could be heard from the TV in the room.
He stressed that he took the spare key of the room, opened the door and the sight of a lady tied on the bed lifeless frightened him.
He said he immediately shut the door and headed to the police station to make a report, and the Divisional Police Officer and his men immediately rushed to the hotel and the corpse of Kelechi Bridget Onuoha was deposited to a mortuary.
He told the court that the lady’s hands, legs and mouth were tied up with white pieces of cloth, adding that he was invited to the Police station and the State Criminal Investigation Department to make a statement, stressing that he also tendered the CCTV footage at the station.
Justice Adolphus Enebeli adjourned the matter to 16th December for continuation
