Admin l Friday, May 20, 2022
TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE – A Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square has sentenced a 53 year old Dane, Peter Nelsen to death by hanging for murder of Alizee (Zainab), a musician, who was his wife and Petra, his daughter..
Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile who delivered the judgment noted that the post mortem examination led by Professor John Obafunwa showed bruises on the neck and head of the deceased persons.
“That autopsy report also stated that the “tiny signs of bleeding” proved smothering as cause of death. Smothering which caused the absence of oxygen to both deceased persons was also established as the cause of Zainab’s death which the court held that, “couldn’t have been self inflicted or due to epilepsy as that wasn’t included in her medical history”, Justice Okikiolu-Ighile said.
On whether the deaths were caused by the defendant (Peter Nielsen), the court recalled several testimonies by the prosecution’s witnesses including a housemaid, Zainab’s sibling and two police officers who testified to incidents of domestic violence perpetrated by Mr Nielsen on the late musician during the trial.
The court particularly described Zainab’s sister, Pepe, who was about 13 years old at the time of the incident as a witness of truth who testified about a fight between the couple in 2017, adding that the defendant had threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone about what she saw.
According to the court, results of DNA based on extracts found under Zainab’s fingernail showed she tried to fight back in the deadly encounter and that those samples were found to match that of the defendant.
“The nail scrapings showed contact between them, which wasn’t a normal contact between husband and wife, but that of struggle.”
The court added, that the fact that he didn’t call for help immediately he claimed he found them lying down in the kitchen, but carried them to the living room and applied CPR on them, showed “he himself certified they had died before calling for help. I find it hard to believe he is absolved of having a hand in their deaths.”
The court also noted that the couple were found to have fought that night, despite his denials and claims that he had a pleasurable night with his family.
“The evidence shows that he beat his wife, and smothered them. Police extracts showed reports of domestic violence by the defendant. Zainab once ran away to Abuja and said she wanted a divorce, which wasn’t even necessary, because her marriage to the defendant was null ab initio as he was still married to his wife in Denmark and had three children with her.
She even prophesied her death by telling her driver and step-dad that the defendant will kill her. This is a case of domestic abuse. The DNA result showed she tried so much to defend herself. But unfortunately, it was too late.”
In her sentencing, she held that, in line with Section 223 (2) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos state, 2015, “subject to the provision of any other law, death sentence is the punishment for murder.
“ I hereby found you, Peter Nielsen, guilty of the murder of Zainab and Petra, as charged. I also prescribe the sentence of the court upon you for both counts of murder, to be death by hanging. May the Almighty God have mercy on your soul.”
The Lagos State Government arraigned the 53-year old defendant on June 13, 2018, on a two-count charge of murder, punishable under Section 223 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2015, which prescribes the death penalty. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr Nielsen was said to have killed his wife, a musician also known as Alizee, and his daughter on April 5, 2018, at about 3.45 am at their Banana Island residence in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.
j
