Prosecution Seeks the Death Penalty, Defense Rubbishes Charges as Much-Publicised Murder Trial Wraps Up in Mogadishu

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The much-publicised case in which a man is accused of killing his wife by setting her on fire concluded Monday in Mogadishu as the prosecution sought the maximum death penalty.

Deputy public prosecutor Yahye Mohamud Saeed urged the court to sentence the accused, Sayid Ali Maallin Daud, for killing his wife Luul Abdiasis. “I am asking this court to sentence him to death for the killing of Luul Abdiasis,” the prosecutor said.

However, the defence counsel rubbished the accusations, noting that there was no watertight evidence linking Daud to the killing of his wife. During the case, which was broadcast live on television across Somalia, the defence team accused the prosecution of concocting evidence to suit their line of charges, arguing that not even a single witness was at the site of the alleged offense when it happened.

Daoud told the court that he had a dispute with his wife after she claimed that she wanted to get married to another man. As a result, the accused said, he set his house on fire, and his wife committed suicide by forcing herself onto the fire. He told the court that he had unsuccessfully tried to rescue his wife.

Luul was admitted to a hospital in Mogadishu but later succumbed to her injuries. Defense counsel Halane asked the court to dismiss the case as it lacked merit.

“Since there is no one who can really prove it, Luul set herself on fire, and I request that the charge by the prosecutor’s office be dropped.”

Daud is accused of committing the offence on January 26, 2024. His wife Luul later died on February 2, 2024, from the severe burn injuries she sustained.

Presiding judge Salah Ali Mohamud Sabaan said the court will deliver the verdict soon.