A Ugandan court has sentenced Christopher Okello Onyum to death for the “human sacrifice” slayings of four nursery school toddlers, with the presiding judge citing his lack of remorse and the calculated nature of the attack.
Justice Alice Komuhangi Khauka sentenced 38-year-old Christopher Okello Onyum to death by hanging on Thursday for the fatal stabbing of four nursery school children in a tragedy he claimed was a “human sacrifice” to gain wealth. Delivering the verdict at a makeshift High Court in the community where the April 2 attack occurred, the judge dismissed Onyum’s claims of insanity, ruling that he was “very sane” and had shown “no remorse at all” for the slaughter of toddlers aged one to two.
Justice Khauka emphasized that the dual Ugandan-U.S. citizen targeted the victims in their “defenceless state and went ahead to slaughter them like animals,” displaying a total lack of consideration for human life. While Onyum has 14 days to appeal the sentence, the ruling marks a severe penalty in a nation that retains the death penalty despite not having carried out an execution since 2005.