Justice Lateefat Okunnu of the Lagos High court sitting in Ikeja on Friday sentenced to death, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Youth Pastor, Akolade Arowolo, who stabbed his banker wife, Titilayo to death, in 2011.
Arowolo who was arraigned on December 21, 2011,on one count charge of murder was sentenced to death.
The judge averred that, the prosecution proved their case beyond reasonable doubt and established that he was responsible for his wife’s death.
The convict fell in the dock,burst into tears and screamed “Jesus I didn’t do it” after the judge condemned him to death.
In her judgment, the judge held that even though there were no eyewitnesses to the incident, the circumstantial evidence gathered by the prosecution had proved that the murder charge against the convict beyond all reasonable doubt.
“I pronouce the defendant guilty as charge and sentenced him to death,” she ruled.
Okunnu relied heavily on the testimony of the forensic pathologist, Prof. John Obafunwa, who testified that there were at least 76 stab wounds found on the deceased.
Contrary to the convict’s claim during trial, Obafunwa had testified that the injuries must have been caused by sharp weapon applied on the deceased, could not have been self-inflicted as alleged by Arowolo.
According to the pathologist testimony “Applying the eliminating induction by eliminating other factors, judging by this case the factors, including the possibilities of another person entering the flat to stab the deceased to death, the possibility of the deceased stabbing herself and the possibility of that the wounds were caused in autopsy room. it is my finding that no other persons but the defendant who stabbed Omotunde to death.
“This established the causal link between the death and the defendant.”
The 32-year-old Youth Pastor, who was arraigned for murder on December 21, 2011, was said to have murdered his wife, Titilayo, at their residence at No. 8, Akindehinde Street, Isolo, Lagos.
The deceased was then an employee of Skye Bank Plc.
Obafunwa, who carried out the autopsy on the corpse of the deceased, had said there were at least 76 stab wounds on the body.
He described some of the wounds as penetrating to heart, damaging of organs and others including, the diaphragm, lung and the liver of the deceased.
Obafunwa attributed the death of the deceased to multiple injuries on the heart and abdomen due to knife and sharp blunt force trauma.
The prosecution led by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, called 15 witnesses among whom were police officers and the father, sisters and step-mother of the deceased.