Gracious David-West: Rivers ‘Serial Killer’ Pleads Not Guilty to Crime

Gracious David-West, a suspected killer of women in Rivers State and across the country after being intimate with them, has pleaded not guilty to the crime.

He had confessed to the crime involving the death of nine women a month ago when he was first arraigned in court before Justice Adolphus Enebeli, in River state. He, however, denied killing the 10th, saying he only tied her up and walked away after warning her to desist from prostitution.

At a resumed sitting yesterday, Justice Enebeli ordered the second suspect, Mimi ThankGod, to be charged with David-West, and the amended charge was read out to the duo. They pled not guilty.

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The prime suspect is facing a 10-count charge bordering on murder. On the other hand, ThankGod, a manager of one of the hotels where the killings allegedly took place, was charged with ill conduct with one of the victim’s bodies.

She was later granted bail in the sum of N500,000.

Her lawyer, Edward Obiokor, reminded the court that his client was charged for misconduct with the body, not murder, adding that she even helped to rescue one of the victims who the prime suspect attempted to murder in the same hotel.

Speaking with reporters shortly after the sitting, the principal prosection officer of the Ministry of Justice, who represented the Attorney General yesterday, Chidi Ekeh, said David-West was arraigned before the court for the killing of nine young women in the state, he pleaded guilty to nine of the ten charges given to him.

“Today, he has changed his guilty plea to not guilty. However, his guilty plea did not make any difference because the court will still write not guilty for him because he is charged with capital offence.

“Again, the second person that was arraigned with him is not being tried for murder, but misconduct with a corpse. She is a manager of one of the hotels (a guest house), the crime was committed and the corpse hidden under the bed.

“When the dead body was discovered apparently by a housekeeper and reported to her, instead of her to alert the police or any authority about the strange corpse, directed that the body be wrapped in a black polyethylene bag and thrown into a refuse dump in the area.”

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The court has adjourned the case to December 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, and 20 for hearing.

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