David West, Rivers serial killer, sentenced to death

A Rivers state high court has sentenced Gracious David West to death by hanging for the murder of 11 women.

David West was arrested in September 2019 in connection to a series of killings,  most of which occurred in Port Harcourt, the Rivers capital.

The murders, which were said to have started around July 2019, involved young female victims discovered in hotel rooms with white clothes tied around their necks.

Upon arrest, he made a series of confessional statements, and was arraigned before the state high court in October 2019, when he also admitted to killing nine women.

Delivering the judgement on Friday, Adolphus Enebeli, the presiding judge, found him guilty of the murder of 11 ladies, as well as the attempted murder of a prospective victim identified as Benita Etim.

Enebeli based his judgement on the confession of West, as well as the closed circuit television footage which was tendered during trial.

However, Vincent Chukwu, counsel to West, pleaded for leniency on the grounds that his client is a father of three children.

Responding to Chukwu, the Rivers state prosecuting counsel led by Chidi Ekeh urged the court to ensure justice in the matter.

Ekeh said the judgement would serve as a deterrent to other persons with such criminal inclinations.

He added that the second defendant, Nimi ThankGod, who was accused of tampering with one of the corpses of the victims, was freed because it was difficult to prove her involvement in the crime.

“With respect to the second defendant, she escaped by the whiskers, not that the offence with which she was charged was not committed,” he said.

“But it was difficult to determine who exactly did it as the witnesses who would have ordinarily provided that answer suddenly disappeared from the state until date.

“I am happy that this judgement was given. It would serve as a deterrent to all persons with such disposition to know that there are consequences.”

Chukwu, however, said he would appeal the judgement at a higher court.