The court has officially commenced trial proceedings of Migori Governor Okoth Obado in the murder of Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby.
Obado is accused alongside Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero of the murder of former Rongo University student Sharon and her unborn child.
Government pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor was the first witness to testify saying that there were seven stab wounds and two slash wounds.
“There was muscle bleeding on the left side of the neck and muscle was detached from the attachment on the bone. Bleeding seen on the root of the tongue and right lung had collapsed,” he testified.
According to Oduor, the cause of death of the late Sharon was severe hemorrhage due to penetrating force trauma and there were features of manual strangulation adding that the fetus aged 28 weeks was male, with a stab wound on the abdomen.
He said that Sharon’s clothes were given to him separately adding that they were not on her.
“The body was flaccid; the skin was slipping off the back of the arms and legs. There was a slash wound below the left ear and another slash wound below the first,” he said.
Sharon’s murder case hearing against Obado was postponed to start today till Thursday after defendants sought to have the case postponed, citing Covid-19 restrictions.
In a letter dated June 28 through his lawyer, Obado sought postponement of the trial.
“My client is unable to travel outside the Covid-19 hotspot zone. Accordingly, we request the case be mentioned virtually on Monday, the 5th July 2021 for the purpose of fixing fresh hearing dates, hopefully at a time when the threat of Covid-19 has substantially subsided,” read part of the letter.
However, Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP) Noordin Haji said his office will strongly oppose any further adjournment saying they have been involved in many activities that do not support their assertions of Covid-19.
The number of participants and people attending the hearing has been restricted to accused persons and their counsels, the team from DPP office, counsel from family and family of the deceased.
The DPP has been directed to avail two witnesses per day.
The prosecution has lined up 37 witnesses to testify against Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his two co-accused.
The three are out on bond after pleading not guilty to the murder charge.
Sharon’s body was discovered in a thicket near Oyugis town.
A post-mortem revealed Sharon was possibly raped and stabbed eight times in the neck, abdomen and back.
Sharon also lost her unborn baby in the gruesome murder.
National Media Group journalist Barrack Oduor who escaped murder told police that he was abducted alongside Sharon but he managed to jump out of a speeding car to save his life.
Oduor left behind Sharon alone with the abductors who later allegedly murdered her in cold blood.
Sharon had reportedly contacted Oduor over an intimate relationship she allegedly had with the governor and which led to the pregnancy that the governor was unhappy about.