Infamous Port Harcourt serial killer sentenced to death
The 26-year-old in 2019 confessed to killing women after having sex with them.
Gracious David-West (in green) has been sentenced to death by hanging [AFP]
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The convict was arrested in September 2019 in connection to a string of high-profile murders of women at different hotels, with most of them happening in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The killings started around July 2019 with young women discovered in hotel rooms with white clothes tied around their ankles, arms, and necks.
David-West lured the women to hotels and had sex with them before killing them.
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He would tear the pillow covers of the hotel rooms into strips to restrain the women, while also threatening them with a knife before strangling them to death.
Upon arrest, he made a series of confessional statements admitting to the killings during media parades organised by the Police.
He later claimed his confessions were made under duress.
David-West, 26, was last year charged with nine counts of murder and one count of attempted murder of a victim who survived his attack.
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Delivering judgement on Friday, October 9, 2020, Justice Adolphus Enebeli sentenced the accused to death by hanging.
Justice Enebeli's ruling was based on David-West's confessional statement, and CCTV footage of him at the scene of one of the killings.
The convict's counsel, Vincent Chukwu, said after Friday's sentence that he would love to appeal against the ruling if David-West allows him.
Due to lack of sufficient evidence, Justice Enebeli discharged and acquitted a second defendant, Nimi Thank-God.
The hotel manager allegedly illegally disposed off the corpse of one of David-West's victims instead of reporting to the police.
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The victim's corpse was discarded at a refuse dump.
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