Rebecca Cheptegei’s alleged murderer, Dickson Ndiema, has passed away after sustaining 30% burns as an outcome of pouring five liters of petrol on the athlete.
It was reported by the police that Ndiema assaulted Cheptegei in her home in western Kenya on September 1, 2024, by pouring petrol over her and burning her alive, resulting in 80% burns.
During the murder attempt, the accused also incurred 30% burns and was shifted to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) intensive care unit in the Rift Valley city of Eldoret.
While Cheptegei passed away just a week ago, her alleged killer lost his life at the hospital on Tuesday, September 10, reported the hospital.
"It's true we lost Dickson Ndiema last night at about 8 p.m.," told a hospital official to AFP.
The official requested the outlet to keep his identity anonymous as they were not allowed to publicly speak to the media.
However, he reported that the family of the accused has been informed and an official comprehensive statement will be issued later.
For the uninformed, Cheptegei bought a piece of land recently over which there was a dispute going on with Ndiema, who was her boyfriend. This resulted in extreme anger from Ndiema’s side, who snuck into Cheptegei’s house when she was attending church with her children.
"He poured the petrol and lit her on fire. When she called her sister to help, he threatened her with a machete, and she ran away,” reported Kenyan media, adding that the couple has “constant family wrangles.”
