COVER STORY CRIMINAL PROSECUTION 30/05/2023
Court Convicts Hotelier, Three Others For OAU Student’s Murder
The Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo has convicted the founder of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Ramon Adedoyin and three staff of the hotel of conspiracy to murder and murder of a student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Timothy Adegoke.
Adedoyin was charged along with six of his workers, Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola as first to seventh defendants and were docked on 18-count which include murder, conspiracy, oath of secrecy among others.
Chief Judge of the State, Justice Adepele Ojo in her judgement on Tuesday discharged three defendants – Magdalene Chiefuna, Lawrence Oluwole and Adedeji Adesola – were discharged from the counts of conspiracy to murder and murder.
However, they were found culpable of other counts in the charge.
Adedoyin was found culpable and hereby convicted of counts 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 15 and 16.
The Court held the second autopsy reports signed by two pathologists from Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital was thwarted as the court holds that “it’s a report by persons with vested interest”.
Justice Ojo established that late Timothy Adegoke lodged in the Hilton hotel and paid into the account of the 7th defendant.
“I found the first defendant (Ramon Adedoyin) culpable of the conspiracy to murder and murder.”
The court held that evidence presented before the court placed Oyetunde Kazeem “squarely among those who perpetrated the acts” and he found guilty of the counts
Seventh defendant (Adedeji Adesola) was “carefully chorographed into the act. The circumstance around her were not strong to found her culpable of the count 1, 2, and 3”.