Lady to Die by Hanging for Killing Enugu Makeup Artist

A lady, Miss Chiamaka Ifezue, has been sentenced to death by hanging by Justice K.I. Okpe of the Enugu State High Court for the killing of a 27-year-old makeup artist, Ijeoma Nneke, on November 11, 2020.

Chiamaka and her brother, Chukwuemeka, were arraigned before the court in two-count charges bordering on conspiracy and murder in 2021.

Nweke had left home on Wednesday, 11 November, for a job but went missing afterwards.

Her supposed client, having refused to disclose the location for the job, asked the deceased to stop at the Enugu State Broadcasting Service bus stop, where she would then be taken to the venue by a taxi driver.

They were accused of forcing the deceased (Ijeoma) to drink a poisonous substance that caused her death.

The suspects were said to have allegedly dumped her body at the Maryland area of Enugu metropolis and poured a corrosive substance suspected to be acid on the body.

During the trial, Justice Okpe discharged Chukwuemeka of the crime, following a no-case submission pleaded by the defence counsel, Mr Chuma Oguejiofor.

In discharging Chukwuemeka, the trial judge held that there was no evidence that he actually participated in the commission of the crime.

However, while delivering the final judgement on the case on Wednesday, Justice Okpe said the prosecution had proved the case of murder against Chiamaka beyond every reasonable doubt.

The court agreed with the submissions of Mrs Chinelo Chigbo, who led the prosecution from the Department of Public Prosecutions, that the suspect was actually responsible for the death of the 27-year-old make-up artist.

The court consequently found Chiamaka guilty of murder and consequently sentenced her to death by hanging.

During the trial, the court admitted it had in evidence police exhibits on the case of the alleged murder of the makeup artist.

Chigbo led the Prosecution Witness 7 (PW7), Sgt. Udeze Oguguo, a police officer, in evidence to tender the exhibits.

Oguguo, who is attached to the Independence Layout Police Division, Enugu, said the exhibits were recovered at the scene of the alleged crime.

The exhibits included five pieces of 20 British pounds, an iPhone 7plus with MTN SIM card, another iPhone device and a Blackberry phone.

Others were a broken 9Mobile SIM card, itel phone, another black phone (no brand name), MTN SIM pack, and makeup tools belonging to the deceased.

Also tendered in evidence was the key of a Toyota Metrix Scan with registration number JJJ410BJ which was allegedly used to move the dead body of the deceased from the scene of the crime to where it was dumped.

The police officer told the court that the car which had been parked at the Police Anti-kidnap Formation was no longer in a good condition to be moved to the court.

He also tendered hard copies of the WhatsApp messages and text messages (SMS) the deceased had with her fiancé and girlfriend respectively while at the scene of the crime.