A death row convict has appealed his sentence at the Nakuru High Court after he was found guilty of killing his brother in Naivasha, Nakuru and burying him in his bedroom in 2006.
65-year-old John Ndechu was convicted of first-degree murder in 2010, after the court approved that he killed his brother Peter Gitau Ngechu in a land tussle and unlawfully disposed of his body.
Appearing before Justice Joel Ngugi on Monday, Ndechu admitted killing his brother, saying that he became angry after he prevented him from his own piece of land in Naivasha.
He argued that he regrets what he did and has since been forgiven by God, having been saved, and now wants to be released so that he can go look after his three children.
“The devil made me do what I did to my brother, I regret but now I’m saved, my brother and sister have forgiven me, my children need me,” he was quoted by the Standard.
The death was discovered after their sister Esther Wanjiku became suspicious of Ngechu's disappearance, but when asked, Ndechu said that he had visited their other brother in Eldoret.
He then proceeded to sell the land, and threatened his mother Mary Njeri (now deceased) with a panga when confronted on the sale, leading to his arrest and detention at a local police station.
The mother would later discover about the death of his son after seeking the help of the police to break into Ndechu's house to get some of her belongings, only to meet a grave under his bed with the decaying remains of Ngechu.
In his appeal, the applicant admitted to killing his brother, pleading with the court to consider his request.
“I hit my brother with a door and he died on the spot, I was confused on what to do. I was afraid to inform my peers who were at the farm, so I took a shovel then dug a grave inside the house,” he said.