‘Cops’ crew member killed in police shooting

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="post-257661 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-news entry" style="margin: 0px 0px 30px;"> <h1 class="entry-title" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(http://www.punchng.com/wp-content/themes/punch/images/dots-horizontal.gif); background-position: 0% 100%; border-top-color: rgb(255, 1, 1) !important; border-top-style: solid !important; border-top-width: 1px !important; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 9px 4px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></h1> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span><div class="entry-content" style="overflow: hidden;"> <div id="nrelate_flyout_placeholder"> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A crew member working on a taping of “Cops” was inadvertently shot and killed by a police officer during a robbery in Omaha, Nebraska, local officials said Wednesday.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bryce Dion, an audio technician, is believed to be the first member of the “Cops” production staff killed in the 25-year history of the television show.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The production company behind “Cops,” Langley Productions, said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened and shocked by this tragedy and our main concern is helping his family in any way we can.”</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dion, 38, had been in Omaha all summer, helping with the production of future “Cops” episodes. The production company described him as a “long term member of the ‘Cops’ team and a very talented and dedicated person.” His resume lists credits on “Cops” dating back to 2009.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Todd Schmaderer, the Omaha police chief, confirmed at a Wednesday afternoon news conference that a bullet fired by an officer struck Dion during a shootout with the robbery suspect, Cortez Washington, who was also killed.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Schmaderer described Dion as a friend to the officers that he’d been embedded with.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“This is as if we lost one of our own,” Schmaderer said. “That is the grieving process we’re going through right now.”</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dion and a cameraman were traveling with police officers who responded to a robbery inside a Wendy’s restaurant on Tuesday night. Schmaderer said the suspect, Washington, fired two shots at the responding officers, who responded with a barrage of gunfire.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was later discovered that Washington had a pellet gun that fired plastic bullets.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As Washington tried to exit the Wendy’s, he passed through a vestibule where Dion was positioned. The “Cops” cameraman was crouched down in another part of the restaurant.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After being struck by a single gunshot, Dion “collapsed just inside the east doorway,” according to the police chief.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Washington collapsed outside.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Now, as an investigation ensues, the cameraman’s footage has become evidence.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Based on our viewing of the footage, the officers had no choice other than to respond (the way) they did,” Schmaderer said, anticipating questions about why so many shots were fired.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When asked at the press conference if the officers could have been “showing off for the cameras,” Schmaderer called that “absolutely ridiculous.”</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“This was a very harrowing situation,” he said.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph17" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Asked whether “Cops” would stop production in Omaha, the police chief said, “We haven’t gotten that far.” The investigation is ongoing, he said, and is relying in part on the “Cops” team’s footage.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph18" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Mr. Dion played the ultimate price for his service — to provide the footage of the real-life dangers that law enforcement officers face on a daily basis to television viewers throughout the world,” Schmaderer said.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph19" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The crew was reportedly scheduled to wrap up production in the coming days.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph20" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I’ve seen six or seven of the shows that can be aired, and it just shows amazing professionalism,” Schmaderer said.</span></div> <div class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph21" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Cops,” often called one of the original reality shows, was televised by the Fox network for 24 years. Last year it shifted over to the cable channel Spike.</span></div> </div> <div class="story-bottom" style="position: relative; text-align: center; top: -10px;"> <div class="wrap"> <div class="widget wpbr-widget" id="story-bottom"> <div class="widget-wrap"> <div class="wpbrad wpbrad-zone" id="wpbrbannerajax5fd0b37cd7"> <div class="wpbrbanner" id="wpbrbanner139" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 5px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 5px; clear: both; height: 90px; margin: 0px auto; width: 728px;"> <div class="wpbrbannerinside" style="text-align: left;"> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7167863529667065" data-ad-slot="7473145091" data-adsbygoogle-status="done" style="display: inline-block; height: 90px; width: 728px;"><ins id="aswift_1_expand" style="border: none; display: inline-table; height: 90px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; visibility: visible; width: 728px;"></ins></ins></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

‘Cops’ crew member killed in police shooting

  A crew member working on a taping of “Cops” was inadvertently shot and killed by a police officer during a robbery in Omaha, Nebras...

Read more »

73 killed in Iraqi Sunni mosque attack

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At least 73 people have been killed after a Shia Muslim armed group opened fire inside an Iraqi Sunni mosque in the village of Bani Wais in the country’s eastern Diyala province, medical sources have said.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A security source said bodies had been arriving at the hospital in the city of Baquba in Diyala province on Friday.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Footage posted later on YouTube appeared to show the dead strewn across the mosque floor, including the body of at least one child.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf, reporting from Erbil, said that according to local sources, the attack could have been in retaliation for a roadside bomb attack at a recruitment event organised by the same militia.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At least 73 people have been killed after a Shia Muslim armed group opened fire inside an Iraqi Sunni mosque in the village of Bani Wais in the country’s eastern Diyala province, medical sources have said.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A security source said bodies had been arriving at the hospital in the city of Baquba in Diyala province on Friday.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Footage posted later on YouTube appeared to show the dead strewn across the mosque floor, including the body of at least one child.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf, reporting from Erbil, said that according to local sources, the attack could have been in retaliation for a roadside bomb attack at a recruitment event organised by the same militia.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Check out our complete coverage of the crisis in Iraq</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Such sectarian violence could hurt efforts by Iraq’s new prime minister, moderate Shia Haider al-Abadi, to form a government that can unite Iraqis against the Islamic State group, the Sunni rebel group that has seized large parts of the country.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Two Sunni parliamentary blocs have suspended talks on forming a new Iraqi government to protest the attack.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The blocs affiliated with Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al Mutlak are demanding that outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the main Shia parliamentary bloc hand over the perpetrators within 48 hours and compensate the families of victims, the AP news agency reported.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Iraq’s newly appointed prime minister condemned the attack on the mosque.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I strongly condemn the killing of civilians and worshipers in Diyala province and I call on the citizens to reject these attempts by the enemies of Iraq to exploit the incident in order to stir up strife between the sons of the same homeland,” he said.<br />Attacks on mosques have in the past unleashed a deadly series of revenge killings and counter attacks in Iraq, where violence has returned to the levels of 2006-2007, the peak of a sectarian civil war.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In July, Shia armed groups executed 15 Sunni Muslims and then hung them from electricity poles in a public square in Baquba, police said.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Diyala police officials told the Reuters news agency they had provided Shia militias with names for hit lists so that suspected members of the Islamic State group could be tracked and executed.</span></div> <div style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Iraqi security forces killed more than 255 Sunni prisoners in July in apparent retaliation for killings of Shias by the Islamic State group, according to Human Rights Watch</span></div> </div>

73 killed in Iraqi Sunni mosque attack

At least 73 people have been killed after a Shia Muslim armed group opened fire inside an Iraqi Sunni mosque in the village of Bani Wais i...

Read more »

The police officer who shot and killed unarmed Michael Brown

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; position: relative;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">First pics of the police officer who shot and killed unarmed Michael Brown</span></span></h3> <div class="post-header" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"> <div class="post-header-line-1"> </div> </div> <div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-900831184390452037" itemprop="description articleBody" style="position: relative; width: 616px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd26iP4EcGTvCn7KT6QX7ZxqzqED_xe6a6HRIDyy48ZpoUqSz8oPq1LRq9B4h_xXftpBVtsP2uaigADIj8ZJP7s7a02Jt1iIEc7Hs2Vvt21khktXHJtNnD3ckEOlt2wa7LQeG2WqwHzLU/s1600/a.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px;" width="242" /><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdBDl5q5QAG8RmoPPbuTeCKWjME59Qo0K99gwo_80cB5D4g7e8Xdb3w6UBLCtmhEpkdbt2uFF76iMyDXEl-7N0-yXlvHWUb2RgFtQq8NAKNHF2AP8UnorqlLKoXiKEmzAxHhKm2PJedk/s1600/1408387118830_wps_13_Enterprise_News_and_Pictu.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px;" width="275" /></span></div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Left is a pic of Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown on a street in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9th.<br /><br />Eye-witnesses said Michael was shot multiple times by officer Wilson as he turned around with his hands up. Wilson claims the teenager rushed at him full speed before he opened fire.<br /></span><div class="mol-para-with-font"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Meanwhile a woman who claims to have witnessed the shooting has released a video showing officer Wilson pacing back and forth beside the lifeless body of Michael Brown in the street. See the screenshots from the video after the cut...</span></div> <div class="mol-para-with-font"> </div> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="" name="more"></a><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxogavtSOVeM23Y6hv513-Zi9fKsehG4BUMfUSwCJpIyimeKz_rlUuuu_JGPvUUSctb8hheAH9trS4kgYau8uqOxJW0sIN8VnkvpcQ2leDI7ViUxutOVMnRm2s1i0DUAjiZM3Xyj9a-Y/s1600/1408384632158_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing_Darr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxogavtSOVeM23Y6hv513-Zi9fKsehG4BUMfUSwCJpIyimeKz_rlUuuu_JGPvUUSctb8hheAH9trS4kgYau8uqOxJW0sIN8VnkvpcQ2leDI7ViUxutOVMnRm2s1i0DUAjiZM3Xyj9a-Y/s1600/1408384632158_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing_Darr.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></span></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnfoiH7S2dr36R6ytjAR13_WSz3OaGKMX08VkKnTrGao-ngA3nraALo0jq_iYvlZbc0QnWwtpDEdylt3raFRh6TXHsHjSQ5wG4MVmHBaGFfOFcgQaDe9oDZR2k0GCvw8dluSSGRbbrV0/s1600/1408384788955_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnfoiH7S2dr36R6ytjAR13_WSz3OaGKMX08VkKnTrGao-ngA3nraALo0jq_iYvlZbc0QnWwtpDEdylt3raFRh6TXHsHjSQ5wG4MVmHBaGFfOFcgQaDe9oDZR2k0GCvw8dluSSGRbbrV0/s1600/1408384788955_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjeTAEsRprO62z2OcdS8DRWZO4Z_OOlx0U3E_O0nxqAaQqg3LRmYogLv-XQmjqCGIjZhl6xSs1L1dSF914f44AZc3RnpU-94A3A_y40OhcCJw3Uv65UrKCeSfj71HT4UmuSSF24ryu_M/s1600/1408384912830_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing_Darr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjeTAEsRprO62z2OcdS8DRWZO4Z_OOlx0U3E_O0nxqAaQqg3LRmYogLv-XQmjqCGIjZhl6xSs1L1dSF914f44AZc3RnpU-94A3A_y40OhcCJw3Uv65UrKCeSfj71HT4UmuSSF24ryu_M/s1600/1408384912830_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing_Darr.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></span></span></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWr7uf-2oNkvYJKF1VNbrPFYkQhd2GatzXVqOVAGH_xgtb67H8I6jKWdESiGo5Fy_i7OiYj2vndN3E0hkxCW7zrGDltKAH3DIKWBP_T_BudtU7PcMeUHJVizpvEvMUrB2eZRpxV3pRq_A/s1600/1408384959291_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWr7uf-2oNkvYJKF1VNbrPFYkQhd2GatzXVqOVAGH_xgtb67H8I6jKWdESiGo5Fy_i7OiYj2vndN3E0hkxCW7zrGDltKAH3DIKWBP_T_BudtU7PcMeUHJVizpvEvMUrB2eZRpxV3pRq_A/s1600/1408384959291_Image_galleryImage_Darren_Wilson_pacing.JPG" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top-left-radius: 0px; border-top-right-radius: 0px; border: 1px solid rgb(153, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></span></a></div> </div> </div>

The police officer who shot and killed unarmed Michael Brown

First pics of the police officer who shot and killed unarmed Michael Brown Left is a pic of Darren Wilson, the police officer who ...

Read more »

Confession of a murder suspect: My family notorious for crime

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <header class="post-header cf" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="featured" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/njideka.jpg" itemprop="image" rel="prettyPhoto" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Confession of a murder suspect: My family notorious for crime"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="njideka" class="attachment-main-slider wp-post-image no-display appear" height="336" src="http://sunnewsonline.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/njideka-702x336.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; opacity: 0.8; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.4s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Confession of a murder suspect: My family notorious for crime" width="702" /></span></a></div> <h1 class="post-title" itemprop="name" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 35px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 18px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Confession of a murder suspect: My family notorious for crime</span></span></h1> </header><div class="post-container cf" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="post-content-right" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div class="post-content description" itemprop="articleBody" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px -1.857em; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;"> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“They said that my father used to kill fowl and drink its blood. They told me that he was so notorious in the village that people stigmatized us. I was told that my elder brother was killed mistakenly because he found himself in the company of armed robbers. My second brother was killed over a land issue although the police claimed that he was into kidnapping”, says alleged killer of Lagos business woman, Njideka.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Weeks after a Lagos-based busi­ness woman, Njideka Lizzy Nzewe was murdered in her apartment at Green estate, Amu­wo-Odofin area of Lagos, her supposed boy­friend and only suspect, Kelechi Mokewu has given a chilling account of the notoriety of his family.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The mother of four, aged 39, who was well cele­brated for her exploits in marketing Edmark prod­ucts in Nigeria was said to have been strangled by her younger lover, 33-year-old Kelechi on July 20. He later absconded to Cote d’ Ivoire after spend­ing days in Ghana with her valuables including a Range Rover SUV he stole from her house.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The deceased’s family, however, insists that their sister and Kelechi were only business part­ners and not lovers as widely reported. This and other puzzles are what the police have been work­ing to unravel in a bid to ensure the dastardly act is not ranked among the many unresolved murder cases in Nigeria. Since Kelechi was repatriated to Nigeria from Cote d’ivoire where he was eventu­ally arrested, he has been telling the police more than one reason he killed Njideka.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Manhunt</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Shortly after the incident, the Nzewe family alerted the police at Area E command, Festac. From there, detectives led by Dan Okoro, an As­sistant Commissioner of Police, launched a man­hunt for the suspect. Soon after, it was discovered that Kelechi fled from South Africa to Nigeria af­ter allegedly murdering his neighbour over a failed business deal. The Range Rover SUV stolen from Njideka helped in providing information about the movement of the suspect because of the tracking device fitted into it. Kelechi was initially tracked to a church known as the Miracle Revival Church International, Accra, Ghana, where members of the church vividly remembered that he came to the church on Sunday, July 20, 2014 to celebrate God’s mercy upon his life.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“The elders of the church also gave us a state­ment. They told us those weeks before he trav­elled down to Lagos, he came for a special prayer. Everyone was excited when he returned with a Range Rover. In fact, he was used as an example to narrate how God can bless a believer. They also confirmed that he did not spend up to one hour in the church. His excuse was that he just stepped into the country and wanted the pastor to bless his car”, a member of the police team cracking the case told <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Saturday Sun</i>.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">His next port of call was the famous Kanthan­manto market, where second hand clothes are mostly sold in Ghana. “We tracked down some of his friends who also confirmed that he was at the market to celebrate his success. He told them that it was his latest lover that bought him a car because he got her pregnant. He bought drinks for them and hurriedly left the market with the excuse that he had a business meeting,” the source added.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">He left his phones on and through that he was able to get tip-offs from his family members and friends on the manhunt for him by the police. “We discovered that family and friends were sending messages to him, threatening that the police was on their way to pick him up in Ghana. Alarmed, he decided to relocate to Abidjan with the same car that had a tracking device. With the aid of Inter­pol, he was picked up at Abidjan where they later handed him over to a team of police detectives from Nigeria.” The suspect was said to have have moved freely across the borders without scrutiny because he was “generous to the security agents at the border posts.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Although Kelechi claims that he acted out of rage, facts on ground tend to point to the fact that he prepared for the trip. “If it was not pre-med­itated, he would not remember to pack all his properties and steal from his so-called lover. He also had in his possession, an ECOWAS passport that had Nzewe as his surname. He also ensured that he transferred to the children’s room the vic­tim’s four-year-old son, Mikel who was fast asleep while her mother was being strangled. He did not stop at that but also convinced the security man to take him to the bank where they withdrew money through the late Njideka’s ATM card.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“He also slept in a hotel in Festac till the next day from where he visited a mechanic and ensured that the car was in good state for a long journey. Investigation also revealed that the woman was beaten up and strangled. That explains the foam in her mouth and the stool that was seen on her dress. It appears that he knew what he was doing because he also ensured that he locked the door to enable him to move to safety before Njideka’s body will be found,” the police source further argued.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How it all started</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Although Njedika’s family insists that the duo’s business relationship dates back to February 2014, Kelechi claims that they met in Ghana in 2011. “We met at an event in Ghana and I accosted her when I realised that she is not just an Igbo woman but also from Anambra. In 2014, when I returned home to see my mother, I saw her in Nnewi wait­ing for a motorcycle and she was looking much younger and pretty. I introduced myself and we exchanged phone numbers. One thing led to an­other and we became friends. She realised that I would help her with importing most of the goods she had in her shop. It was then that she opened up to me about her estranged marriage and her kids,” Kelechi narrated during an interaction with <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Saturday Sun.</i></span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For months the relationship blossomed before it eventually turned sour. “She trusted me to the ex­tent that anytime she comes to Ghana; she would stay in my house and vice versa. I fell in love with her and was actually serious when I proposed marriage to her,” he said.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Insisting that he mistakenly killed her in a fit of rage, Kelechi claimed that it was a phone call that she received that night that got him annoyed. “As usual, I came down to Nigeria on her invitation. On Friday night, she got home late and I was fu­rious because she refused to pick my call. I con­fronted her and she claimed that her phones were on silent mode. I did not believe that story because I knew that men were disturbing her. I called the number and it rang out, so the story she told me that her phones were on silent mode was a lie. I was boiling in anger when her phone rang; she refused to pick the call. I picked the call, and saw the caller’s name as Ifeanyi. I was mad when the caller who thought she was the one who picked the phone asked to know if she got home safely and that he enjoyed the moments they shared. I was mad and couldn’t control myself again. I broke the phone and she attacked me. She grabbed my manhood while I struggled to free myself from her grip. I had no choice but to strangle her with her cloth; it was when she released my manhood that I knew that she had slumped. I tried to wake her up but realised that it was late,” Kelechi further narrated.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Kelechi’s next account casts doubt on his claim that the attack was not a premeditated crime. Ac­cording to him, as soon as he realised that the deed had been done, he thought of the obvious way out of the problem. “I knew that I was in trouble and the best thing to do was to compose myself very well. I quickly relocated her son who was sleep­ing in the room at the time of the incident back to their room. I picked one or two valuables, packed my bag and picked the car key. I also locked her inside the room, so that I would have gone far be­fore they realise that she is yet to come out of her room. I needed cash and since I did not know the password of her ATM, I contracted the services of the security man. I had observed that she normally sends the young man to withdraw money for her through the ATM. In one of the instances, she had asked me to direct the security man to go on that errand. This made it easy for me to convince him that his madam needed money that she would use to attend night club,” Kelechi said.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">With the help of the security man, they with­drew N100,000 while Kelechi made sure that he observed the password. He drove him home and excused himself again, this time with the ex­cuse that he was to pick one of the late Njideka’s friends who was to join them. “I left the area but could not go far because of a punctured tyre. I had to wait till the next morning and got it fixed”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Trip to Ghana</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The next day after repairing the car, Kelechi in the company of another friend started the journey out of the country. “I knew that the best thing to do was to leave the country. I already had an international passport that had her surname. This made it easy for me to cross all the checkpoints without any arrest, since the documents of the car had her name on it. Whenever I was stopped, I would tell the security opera­tives that the car belongs to my wife. I also withdrew N40,000 before heading to Ghana.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“In Ghana, I needed to cook up a story to justify where the car came from, so it was easy to tell my friends that one of my older lovers in Nigeria bought me the car for getting her pregnant. Initially, I went to the church to ask for forgiveness of my sins but when the congregation saw the car, they were excited. I had no choice but to convert it to a thanksgiving service. Everybody was very happy with me. I also visited the Kanthanmanto mar­ket in Accra, Ghana where I also celebrated with my friends who knew me as a hustler”, he explained.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On why he had his phones on crossing the borders, Kelechi told <i style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Saturday Sun</i>: “I left my phones on so as to know who called and whether they had discovered her dead body. The text messages that I got alerted me that they already knew my whereabouts. I had no choice but to travel down to Abidjan in Cote d’ Ivoire. I chose that country because I have a girlfriend who is expecting my child.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Plea for mercy</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Quite aware of what his fate could be, Kelechi broke down sobbing and begging the family of the deceased to forgive him. “I know that I have wronged your family that is why I am beg­ging for mercy. I sincerely loved your sister and her children that was why I was begging her to marry me. I could not stand the thought of another man taking my place. Although she was far older than me, I was ready to fill in the gap as her husband”, he sobbed.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Faulty background</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Kelechi began his journey in life in 1983 at Umuoji, Idemili North, Anambra State where he was born into the family of the late Iweobi Mojekwu. He had a troubled life as he grew to know that his father was a terror in our community. <b style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“</b>They said that my father used to kill fowl and drink its blood. They told me that he was so notorious in the village that people stigmatized us. I was told that my elder brother was killed mistakenly because he found himself in the company of armed robbers. My second brother was killed over a land issue although the police claimed that he was into kidnapping. I do not know their story because I was a kid when all that happened. I lost two of my sisters during childbirth.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Life was so difficult that I had to drop out of secondary school to start apprenticeship on sale of electrical appliances. Along the line, I was roped into a crime I did not commit, but luckily for me, my mother and my only living sister came to my rescue.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In an attempt to flee from Nigeria and its setbacks, Kelechi claimed that he relocated to South Africa in search of greener pasture. “I was again accused of murder but before they could catch me, I boarded the next available flight to Nigeria. I was ashamed of myself, that was why I quickly moved over to Ab­idjan but war broke out and I ran to Ghana. I started dealing in secondhand clothes. This was how I met Njideka in 2011 in one of her trips to Ghana”, he added.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He was never her lover but business partner – family</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Describing Kelechi’s claim as a lie and a plot to tarnish their sister’s hard-earned reputation and attract sympathy, one of Njideka’s relations and confidant, Christian Mekowulu claimed that he knew about their relationship right from day one. “Njide­ka grew up in my house when their parents died at an early age. I was her confidant and I know of her dealings. Early this year, she called me from Nnewi when she met Kelechi. The story she told me was that Kelechi approached her with a marriage pro­posal and along the line she got to know that he lives in Ghana and could assist her in importing goods for her shop in Lagos.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“My sister was a very industrious person who tried her hands in various trades, just to make both ends meet. He found him to be very reliable after he had assisted her to buy goods. She did not see anything wrong in allowing him to sleep in her house any time he comes to Nigeria. He kept insisting that he wanted to marry my sister and I warned her to beware of this boy who was much younger. The fact remains that ever since she separat­ed from her husband, different kinds of men had asked her hand in marriage. We know that they are all after her money.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“A day before the incident, she called to inform me that she was having issues with the boy. I was shocked when on July 19, her security man called to inform me that my sister was inside her room probably dead,” Christian narrated.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Continuing, he said: “As soon as I got there, we alerted the police who took snap shots of the scene before the door was broken. She was dead. We discovered that after killing my sis­ter, he left with her Range Rover SUV and valuables. It was with the assistance of the police led by ACP Okoro that the boy was tracked down and arrested in Cote d’ Ivoire. I do not know why he decided to kill her knowing full well that my sister was always full of praises for him and was ready to help him be a better man. She was supposed to move over to her new house at 7th Avenue the next day. She had also made arrangements to travel to US with her children on a three-month vacation”, Christian further said.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The immediate elder brother of the deceased, Augustine who is based in Lagos, also claimed that the family does not know Kelechi as their sister’s lover but her business partner. “My sis­ter had told me severally about a man who had been assisting her to import goods from Ghana. The first day I met him was on July 17, 2014. That day my sister and I went to her new house. We were there throughout that day. From there we went to her shop at 23 Road, Festac. He said there is one guy called KC she does business with who lives in Ghana. She said the boy was in his shop and that she would like me to meet him.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“The last time I spoke with her, she told me that she had final­ized plans to move over to her new house. I was shocked when the security man called to alert me that my sister was yet to step out of the room. He said that the children woke up and went to their mother’s room but she didn’t open. He went with them to help them knock on the door but she didn’t open too. After, he went to their neighbour to carry a ladder which he placed near the parlour and climbed the ladder. From there, he saw my sister lying down. I asked him if she was moving her body. He said no. Immediately I stopped eating and took my car and starting driving. I called my cousin and asked him to come to Njideka’s house, that there is something wrong there. I told him am on the way. By the time I got there, he was already there with his younger brother. He said KC had killed Njideka. We went to police station and called the carpenter as well. We took a snap shot of the door capturing the way it’s locked. The carpenter opened the door and I saw my sister lying down with foam in her mouth and nose. She was strangled. We moved the corpse to the police station.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another member of their family, Chinelo Igboatu, who claimed to be her childhood friend and the manager of her gal­lery in 23 Road, Festac, also insists that the affair between the duo was strictly a business relationship.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“We were childhood friends. When she opened the gallery at FESTAC opposite UBA , I was staying on the Island. She called me to come down and manage her gallery. I have been there. I was the one managing the place and this young man whose real name is Ikechukwu Eze had been assisting us to buy goods. The last goods he brought was 365 pieces of children shoes and 65 men and 50 ladies.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Three days before he killed my sister, he came to the shop on Wednesday because my sister wanted to travel to America. She asked him to come down to Nigeria so that he could bring goods for her. When he came, my sister was not around. I was the only one there. I asked him this one my sister is travelling, will you still bring goods for us? He said yes. Even if my sister spends six months in America, he will still be bringing goods for me. I didn’t know that he had other intentions. He said his eye was on big cars. There is this business he is managing. That if it matures he wants to buy a new car not knowing his plan was to kill her and take her money and her car.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“They were not dating, it was strictly business. Because she trusted the young man, that was why she allows him to stay in her house for few days, whenever he returns to Nigeria to supply us goods.”</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The lady, Njideka</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Having lost both parents as a teenager, life was difficult for the Nzewe family. But determined to excel in life and proba­bly get the wherewithal to further her education, she decided to learn a trade. “She started in Onitsha as an apprentice and few months later, she was able to start up her own business. When she relocated to Lagos, she established her own shop at Balogun market where she started by selling footwears and lady clothes. Gradually, she got contacts with importers of GNLD products; this was how she launched herself into the networking business. She tried her hands on different products till she finally joined the Edmark group.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“She also excelled there by winning the highest prize of N37million for her efforts in selling the product. She also at­tended several managerial courses which enabled her to fit into her new line of business which was networking. She normally organised seminars for intending members. In fact, she was very successful and invested in properties. She had just finished her private house and was to pack into the house the day she was killed,” Augustine stated.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">According to him, the late Njideka invested her funds and en­sured that the family benefitted from her generosity. “She was very generous. She had done so many projects including the house that she built for her estranged husband. She had plans to develop a charity home for the underprivileged and had already started building a hotel in Satalite town. My sister was an easy going person that believed that no one has the right to take away her joy”, Augustine said.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Troubled marriage</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">On her failed marriage, Augustine argued that his sister could no longer endure the bad side of marriage. “Njideka’s marriage crashed due to irreconcilable differences. She lived with her husband for some time until the man started messing up. I was always called to settle one problem or another and their case was severally reported at the police. My sister was paying all the bills while her husband kept messing around. Even when they wanted to pack out, it was my sister that paid for the new accommodation.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“I did my best to encourage her to manage the outcome of her marriage but her husband was not helping matters. She was blessed with four kids who are all leaving with me at the mo­ment. Till date, the children are not aware that their mother is dead. The eldest, Ifeanyi had asked severally what happened but we told them that she travelled abroad for treatment. I don’t know how long it is going to take but they will get to know the truth. It is rather unfortunate. The first son is Ifeanyi, the twins are Chioma and Chinenye and the last child who is about four years is Mikel”.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She trusted him- Security man</b></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">According to John Tungwin, the security man, who had lived with Njideka for four years, he never suspected foul play be­cause Kelechi was so calm when he came to meet him. “This was the third time that he visited the house and my madam had so much respect for him. A day before the incident, I went to the new house with her and later came back in the night. She dropped me at the gate and went out, only to return at about 12am on Saturday. She told us to start packing our bags that we will finally move over to the new house.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“About two hours later, Kelechi came out with her ATM card and said that my madam asked me to help her withdraw money. Because madam had sent him to me before, I did not question the demand. On our way back, he told me that he needed to pick a friend who would join them to the club that night.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“When I waited and he never returned, I called him and he said that madam had changed her mind. It was then that I went in to sleep. The next day, Chioma, one of the twins knocked at my door and said that her mother refused to open her door. I called her numbers and they were switched off. Since there was no way she would have left the compound without my knowl­edge, I became worried. I called Kelechi back and he refused to pick my call. I immediately borrowed a ladder from my neigh­bour and peeped into her room. I saw her lying face down.</span></div> <div style="border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.857em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“My madam trusted him and he was so nice to the children. Most especially, when he came to me that night, there was no sign of panic, he was his usual self. I did not even notice that he was observing and getting the ATM pin, “John explained.</span></div> <div> <br /></div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

Confession of a murder suspect: My family notorious for crime

Confession of a murder suspect: My family notorious for crime “They said that my father used to kill fowl and drink its blood. They...

Read more »

I killed my lover because she made me jealous – Suspect

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> LAGOS — The 31-year-old man, who allegedly strangled his 39-year-old international business woman lover to death in her apartment at Green Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, last month, told a crowd yesterday that he did it out of jealousy.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> The suspect, Kelechi Williams, who was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command, was arrested at the border between Ghana and Cote D’Ivore by operatives from the Area ‘E’ Command, Festac Town and those of International Police, INTERPOL, while fleeing with the deceased’s Range Rover Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV, with number plate LAGOS EKY 509 AZ.</div> <div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_458330" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; float: right; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 422px;"> <a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/killed-lover-made-jealous-suspect/kelechi-williams/" rel="attachment wp-att-458330" style="-webkit-transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; border: 0px; color: #0a67b3; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: background-color 0.2s linear, border-top-color; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="The suspect, Kelechi Williams and late Njideka Lizzy Nzewe" class="size-full wp-image-458330" height="250" src="http://dvsl3w2q45hb8.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Kelechi-Williams.jpg" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.247059) 1px 1px 1px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: margin 0.2s linear, box-shadow;" width="412" /></a><div class="wp-caption-text" style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> The suspect, Kelechi Williams and late Njideka Lizzy Nzewe</div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> The incident, according to him, occurred on July 19, 2014, at about 2 am during an altercation over the late arrival of his lover, a mother of four identified as Njideka Lizzy Nzewe.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How she was killed</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Narrating how he snuffed life out of the deceased, the suspect, who hails from Umuji in Ndemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, said: “Lizzy was my girlfriend. I knew her three years ago. But we started getting serious in February this year.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I came back from Ghana to visit her on July 16, 2014 which was on a Wednesday. The next day we went out and came back late.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “On Friday, she told me to stay back at home and rest because I was tired. She left the house, saying she was going to the new apartment she was to pack into, assuring me she would be back as usual by 6 p.m.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “But she did not return by 6pm. Rather, the gate man came with a power generating set, saying madam had gone to drop the workers.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “When it was 8 p.m. and I did not see her, I started calling her on phone but she did not pick. I called her up to 30 times without response.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “She came back by midnight and when I asked why she did not pick my calls, she said the phone was in silent mode. I brought out my phone and called her line only for it to ring.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “At that point I noticed she was drunk. I got angry and asked if that was the way she would pay me back for leaving everything in Ghana to come and spend time with her. I threatened to quit the relationship. But at that point, her phone rang and I told her to pick it but she insisted that I should pick it and when I did, the caller, who was a male, asked ‘baby are you home?’</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Immediately she discovered it was a male’s voice, she snatched the phone from me and asked why I should pick her calls. I reminded her of a similar incident when she came to visit me in Ghana and my phone rang. She pick it and on discovering it was a female, she smashed the phone on the ground, without knowing who the caller was.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I reminded her also that she collected my other phones from me and brought them to Nigeria. In anger, I took the phone and smashed it on the ground.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Before I knew it, she threw my things outside, saying I should leave her house. I told her to give me the N300,000 she borrowed from me to buy an air conditioner, if she wanted me to leave but she said she had no money with her and gave me her ATM card which she said had just N140,000.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “At a point, she slapped me and we started fighting. She held on to my manhood and started stretching it. That was when I held the wrapper that was around her neck and used it to strangle her, thereby forcing her to let go  my manhood. She fell down and became motionless.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Immediately, I took her three phones, ATM card and went outside to meet the gate man to see me off to any ATM machine, where I withdrew N100,000.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I dropped the gateman at home, and told him I was going to pump the tyre. At that point, I knew I was in trouble. I did not go back to her house for fear of being arrested.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I drove straight to Mile Two, from where I picked a driver who drove me down to Ghana. I spent some days in Ghana before I decided to leave for Cote d’Ivoire,where unfortunately I was arrested.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I never wanted to kill her. I have never fought in my life, let alone kill somebody. I did not also steal her jewellery and N8 million as claimed by the Police. The only money I withdrew was N100,000 and her phone.”</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Suspect gives thanksgiving in church</span></div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Briefing newsmen earlier, the command’s boss, Umar Manko, said after the suspect killed the woman, he locked the door from outside, apparently to make it look as if they had gone out. He further disclosed that a new International Passport which bore the suspect’s name and the surname of his deceased’s lover, was found on him, suggesting that the motive was pre-empted.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Back in Ghana, preliminary investigation, according to the Police, revealed that the suspect took the SUV to church, declaring it was his. Police sources said he made an unspecified donation to the church and also threw a party to celebrate the new car.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How I discovered my madam’s corpse—<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Guard</span></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> On his part, the gate man, John Tungwim, said he suspected something was amiss when the suspect dashed out from the apartment that night.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> According to him, “he told me he was going to the club with madam but that she asked him to go and withdraw money with her ATM card first.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I went with him because I know madam’s pin code. But we came back, he told me to go inside that madam said she was tired and could not go. So, he drove out alone.</div> <div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I never suspected anything until the next day when I did not see madam. I called one of the children’s attention to it. Out of curiosity, I climbed a ladder only to discover that madam was on the floor foaming in her mouth. I contacted her brother who called in the police.”</div> <br /></div>

I killed my lover because she made me jealous – Suspect

LAGOS — The 31-year-old man, who allegedly strangled his 39-year-old international business woman lover to death in her apartment at Green...

Read more »