Sharon Otieno's parents, Douglas Otieno and Melida Auma, in court for Obado's sentencing hearing.

📋 Breaking It Down

The parents of slain Rongo University student Sharon Otieno have urged the High Court to show mercy to former Migori governor Okoth Obado and consider imposing a non-custodial sentence.

Appearing before Justice Cecilia Githua during sentencing proceedings, Douglas Zacharia Otieno and Melida Auma asked the court to weigh both the mitigating and aggravating factors in the case before determining an appropriate sentence.

In a report filed in court, the couple said justice should be tempered with mercy, particularly where those most affected by the crime are asking for leniency.

📌 What You Need to Know

“The interested parties express their deep gratitude to this Honourable Court for delivering justice through the conviction. However, at this critical sentencing juncture, the family prays that the court exercises its unfettered judicial discretion to balance the demands of retributive justice with the wishes of the victim’s family,” they said.

While describing the loss of their first-born daughter as heartbreaking and horrific, the parents said they had chosen the path of forgiveness and had extended an olive branch to Obado.

Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado interacts with his supporters at the Milimani High Court ahead of his mitigation and sentencing hearing. He was convicted with two others  in connection with the 2018 murder of Rongo University student Sharon Otieno and her unborn child.

“My Lady, we humbly submit that post-offence restorative steps and the economic survival of dependants are pivotal indicators that merit a departure from maximum sentencing templates,” the report states.

Obado, his former personal assistant Michael Oyamo and Caspal Obiero were convicted in July of murdering Sharon. The court found that they acted in concert with other people who were not before the court to execute the killing.

Sharon, 26, was a second-year diploma student in public health at Rongo University and was 28 weeks pregnant when she was killed between September 3 and 4, 2018, in Owade, Homa Bay County. She had been abducted alongside a journalist who escaped.

📰 Source: Nation Africa