The High Court public murder trial of Christopher Okello Onyum, the main suspect in the murder of four toddlers at Ggaba Early Childhood Development centre in Ggaba has heard that the DNA collected from the murder weapon, a knife and clothes pin the main suspect in the murder that shook the country.
Court heard testimony from the ASP Harelimana Bernabas, a forensic biologist with the Directorate of Forensic Services, who presented findings from 40 exhibits recovered from the crime scene, including DNA analysis.
“We had two specimens there, one was a swabbing from the knife-handle of exhibit four (Knife), that knife-handle, my Lord, gave me a male DNA profile. My Lord, from the same exhibit, a swabbing from the knife bled, the results from the specimen gave us a mixed DNA profile with at least one male contributor” he said.
ASP Harelimana noted swabbing from the blood stains on the black sun glasses found at the scene brought a mixed DNA profile with at least one female contributor and noted strong genetic evidence linking Okello to the deaths.
“There is strong genetic evidence for the proposition that the suspect, Okello Christopher Onyum, is the donor of the DNA obtained from exhibit 1, which is OK-4. My Lord Ok-4 had several specimens, the first statement being the stains from the middle area of the left arm” he said.
He added, “Still on OK-4, we have a specimen which was cutting from the stains on the wrist area of the left arm of the shirt, then also cutting from the left arm area of the shirt near the shoulder, the DNA obtained from there is from Okello Christopher Onyum”.
ASP Harelimana further noted that cutting from the blood stains on the collar area of the shirt also had the Okello’s DNA’s
“Exhibit 4 had a specimen swabbing from the knife handle My Lord which had the DNA of Okello Onyum Christopher” he said.
Okello is charged with four counts of murder, contrary to section 171 and 172 of the penal code act, cap 128.
Prosecution told court that Okello on the second day of April this year at Ggaba Early Childhood Development centre, Ggaba trading zone, Ggaba parish, Makindye Division Kampala district, with malice aforethought unlawfully caused deaths of Eteku Gideon, Keisha Agenoroth, Sseruynage Ignatius, and Odeke Rayan.
