I’m Not Involved In Murder Of 9 Young Women, Suspected PH Serial Killer

Suspected Port Harcourt serial killer, Gracious David-West, on Monday shocked people in court when he denied images of him on the front page of a newspaper and a short video clip of him in a hotel with his alleged last victim were not his.

The 40-year-old is standing trial on 10 count charge of murder of nine young women and attempted murder of another woman in different hotels in Rivers state, especially, Port Harcourt last year.

He pleaded guilty of the charges slammed against him when he was first arraigned but later changed when a lawyer indicated interest to defend him.

In his evidence in chief at the last sitting early this March, David-West had told the presiding Judge, Adolphus Enebeli that he did not visit any hotel in any part of the state last year neither did he kill anybody.

However, the prosecuting state counsel, Chidi Eke, came to court with a local tabloid that published one of the photographs that were taken of him in handcuffs the day he was paraded by the Commissioner of Police Mustapha Dandaura, shortly after his arrest by men of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) to discredit his claims.

Eke equally played a short viral Close Circuit Television (CCTV), a clip of him and his last victim, Dorcas David, in a hotel in a part of the capital city, while he putting on the same white and blue striped T-Shirt he wore on the photographs.

Surprisingly, the suspect denied that he was the person in any of the images, insisting that he does not know what they were talking about as he has not committed any offence.

However, while the Judge allowed the video images to be admitted as an exhibit, he did not accept the copy of the newspaper, on the ground of discretion of the court.

The matter was later adjourned to March 27 for continuation.