Housewife sentenced to death by hanging for murdering step son

A Makurdi High Court Judge, Justice Jennifer Ijohor, on Thursday, sentenced a housewife, Mrs Ternenge Tersoo, to death by hanging for the murder of her one year-old step son, Pineter Tersoo.

Mrs Tersoo of Mbayegh-Gaav in Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue was found guilty of culpable homicide punishable with death under Section 221 of the Penal Code.

The convict’s husband, Mr Iorchir Tersoo, reported the matter to the police on May 28, 2012 that his first wife had killed his son.

Tersoo said he had been married to the convict for seven years without a child, which made him to marry a second wife, Torkwase Tersoo, who gave birth to the deceased within one year.

The complainant said that his first wife had complained bitterly that the little boy and his mother had taken over the affairs of the house and that the husband gave more attention to the second wife.

According to him, the convict collected the child from his nanny and strangled him to death.

During trial, however, the convict pleaded not guilty to the charge against her and testified in her own defence without calling any witness.

However, the prosecution called two witnesses, including the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Cpl Solomon Mnyim, who tendered a medical report of the autopsy carried out on the deceased at the General Hospital, Vandeikya.

Delivering judgment, Ijohor said that prosecution had proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt to warrant the conviction of the accused.

The judge said the autopsy report showed that the boy was actually strangulated to death.

She condemned the situation where a woman would take the life of another person’s child and advised that a woman married into polygamous home and had no child should pray to God for the gift rather than harbouring evil.