Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, has been sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of culpable homicide in connection with her death on April 8, 2022.
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court delivered the judgment on Monday, ruling that Nwachukwu was responsible for the death of his wife, who was initially believed to have died from throat cancer. Subsequent allegations of domestic abuse led to his arrest and trial.
The federal government filed a 23-count charge against Nwachukwu, ranging from culpable homicide to spousal battery, criminal intimidation, and cruelty to children. Seventeen witnesses, including two of the couple’s children, testified during the trial, which spanned from June 2022 to March 2023.
Although an autopsy from the National Hospital, Abuja, noted no visible marks of violence, it listed multiple internal complications as causes of death, including tumor deposits and an enlarged heart. The defense filed a no-case submission, which the court dismissed.
In addition to the death sentence on Count 1, Nwachukwu received varying prison terms for several other charges: two years each for Counts 2, 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, and 18; six months for Count 10; and three years for Count 11. He was also fined N500,000 and N200,000 on Counts 6 and 7, respectively.
