Man accused of killing his 109-year-old wife over conjugal rights

Police in Ntungamo District have arrested a 110-year-old man accused of stabbing his 109-year-old wife over denying him conjugal rights, authorities have said.

According to Rwizi region police spokesperson Samson Kasasira, Dominic Babiiha allegedly murdered peasant Costansio Bakasisa using a billhook at around 7am on Saturday in the incident at their marital home in Kahunga I in Ntungamo District’s Kahunga Parish.

“It is alleged that at around 8pm on December 14, the deceased had turned down his husband's request to join him in bed because she was feeling weak and had a cough, and that the two peasants went to sleep in separate rooms with the deceased moving in with her two great grandchildren,” Kasasira said.

Police say the suspect Friday morning raised alarm saying “he couldn’t die alone,” prompting one of the granddaughters to check if there was a problem.

“Upon opening, he saw the suspect armed with a billhook. The suspect ordered him out,” Kasasira noted.

He added that: “It’s then that the suspect immediately started stabbing the deceased multiple times which forced the other great grandchild to run out and seek help from neighbours.”

Kasasira disclosed that arriving neighbours found Bakasisa dead while Babiiha locked himself in a room where he was found unconscious with a bottle of an agro chemical beside him- after locals forcefully opened.

By press time, police had visited and documented the crime scene in addition to recovering and exhibiting the murder weapon.

According to police preliminary investigations, couple was married and staying in the same house but sleeping in separate rooms.

Police emphasized that violence leading to the woman’s death was triggered by “denial of conjugal rights.”

“…but inquiries into the matter are still ongoing,” police noted on Saturday.

The 2022 annual police crime report showed 301 cases of murder as a result of domestic violence were reported during the year compared to 376 cases in 2021, giving a 19.9% decrease. Out of the total cases recorded by police, only 127 were taken to court.

“Police strongly condemns all acts of violence and encourages members of the public to always look for non-violent means to resolve misunderstandings or seek help from relevant authorities,” Kasasira urged.