Dickson Ndiema, accused of dousing Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei with petrol and setting her on fire, causing her death, also died.
Philip Kirwa, executive director of Moi University and Referral Hospital, in Eldoret, Kenya, said the man suffered burns to 41% of his body during his own attack.
The day after the incident, he entered the clinic in question, where, as the doctor said, “he was treated by a multidisciplinary team in the Intensive Care Unit.”
“There, he developed respiratory failure as a result of severe burns to his respiratory tract and sepsis which led to his death on Monday (September 9) at 6:30pm,” he said, the Nation Africa portal reports.
What did Dickson Ndiema do to Rebecca Cheptegei?
According to E! News, police in Kenya, where Rebecca Cheptegei lived, announced that Dickson Ndiema showed up at the runner’s home to attack her on September 1.
The athlete’s father, Joseph Cheptegei, said after the death that he had reported the aforementioned man several times for domestic violence but did not get help, the Washington Post reported.
That Sunday, the man said based on a conversation he had with his daughter while she was in the hospital, “she came from church with her two girls and it was a little after three in the afternoon.”
“It was about to rain so they started picking up the clothes off the clothesline and Rebecca was in the coop … the guy came into the chicken area with fuel and put it on her back,” he said.
“When he came back, he threw some more at her and lit the fire. The little ones saw everything, even when their mother was burning,” he added.
For her part, one of the minors, who remains anonymous, shared that she tried to “run to save” her mother but that Ndiema kicked her to prevent her from doing so, The Standard newspaper revealed.
“I immediately screamed for help, attracting a neighbor who tried to put out the flames with water, but it was not possible,” he said.
Although the authorities point out that the attacker and Cheptegei had a romantic relationship, her father denied it: “He was a friend.”
Rebecca Cheptegei died after the brutal attack
After the attack, Rebecca Cheptegei suffered burns on more than 80% of her body and was taken to the same hospital we mentioned above.
Owen Menach, the doctor who treated her, explained that she was in a critical condition due to external and internal damage caused by smoke inhalation.
Ultimately, the marathon runner died in the early hours of September 5 of multiple organ failure, the expert told The New York Times in a telephone interview.
Source: univision
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
