Suspected serial killer, Gracious David West, has denied that a footage played in court was him.
The video footage was played by the prosecution in court on March 23 showing the accused serial killer and one of his victims in hotel premises at Trans-Amadi area of Port-Harcourt.
After the video was played, prosecuting counsel, Chidi Ekeh, asked the accused serial killer if he was not the one in the video which was recorded by CCTV cameras at the hotel premises and had gone viral.
The accused had said that he was not the one in the video claiming the footage was unclear.
Presiding judge of the Port-Harcourt High Court, Honourable Justice Adolphus Enebeli, admitted the video as evidence but refused to admit newspaper publication which the prosecution presented before court showing the suspected serial killer handcuffed on front page of the paper.
David West denied killing any woman and denied taking any woman to hotel.
The case should have resumed on March 27 but there was directive that courts should not open as a result of coronavirus.
David West is facing prosecution for the alleged murder of women in different hotels in Port- Harcourt and other cities in Nigeria. He faces nine counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
The accused pleaded guilty to nine counts of murder and then not guilty to one count of attempted murder but retracted and said he was not guilty of the charges.
His counsel, Vincent Chuku, said in an interview that David West, could have been in “different temperament of mind” when he pleaded guilty and then not guilty to the charges.
The accused serial killer had said at trial on February 28 that he had nothing to apologize for and wouldn’t need any opportunity to apologize for whatever he allegedly did as he had no hand in the death of the women.
He was giving evidence in court led in evidence in chief by his counsel Vincent Chuku.
He had alleged that he was forced by SARS operatives to go to the hotels they took him to saying that he never took any SARS operatives to any hotels.
He also denied killing any woman.
The prosecuting counsel started a line of questioning on why the accused serial killer had pleaded guilty and then not guilty but David West said he did not know what the court was doing.
The accused showed off confidence and joviality at the hearing on February 28.
David West is first accused in the murder trial.
The second accused, Nimi ThankGod, faces one-count charge of misconduct with corpse. She’s yet to give evidence but has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
