Defense lawyers cite major shortcomings in the case as arguments to support their client’s acquittal.
The outcome of the case related to the death of baby Mathis last year is not yet known. The trial is still ongoing. During the last hearing at the Mfoundi High Court on March 11, defense lawyers presented their closing arguments in an attempt to obtain a court decision favorable to their client Dagobert Nwafo. They are requesting the outright acquittal of their client, relying on significant failures and shortcomings found in the investigation file relating to the case.
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These shortcomings are of two types: first, they relate to the blood tests which are a piece of evidence in the procedural file. The lawyers argue that no scientific expertise has established with certainty that the blood traces belong to Dagobert Nwafo. Second, they relate to the individual presented as having recovered the dagger from the hands of the accused after the latter committed the crime. However, the defense lawyers noted that the man in question, known as Messina, has not been heard by the court since the start of the investigation, even though he could play an important role in the course of the trial.
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Thus, the defense does not accept that the accused be convicted in light of these shortcomings and pleads for a favorable outcome in his favor. In contrast, the prosecution continues to plead for the guilt and conviction of Mr. Nwafo, whom it holds as the person presumed to have killed the child. The trial will continue and subsequently, the court will eventually make a decision. Arrested, placed in detention, and prosecuted as the main accused after the murder of baby Mathis, Mr. Nwafo faces the death penalty, the sentence requested by the public prosecutor’s office.
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