Ex-partner who killed Ugandan athlete dies from burns

 

Rebecca Cheptegei died last week after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend

The former boyfriend of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who killed her by setting her on fire, has himself died from burns sustained in the attack, a Kenyan hospital official has said.

Dickson Ndiema ambushed the marathon runner as she returned home from church more than a week ago. He then doused her with petrol and set her ablaze.

Local administrators said the two had been in conflict over a small piece of land in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained.

Ndiema died on Monday night at the intensive care unit, where, according to the hospital, he had been admitted with burns on more than 40% of his body.

“He developed respiratory failure as a result of the severe airway burns and sepsis that led to his eventual death on Monday at 6:30 p.m. hours [15:30 GMT] despite life-saving measures,” a press release from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital said.

Cheptegei died last Thursday—four days after she was attacked. She suffered burns to more than 80% of her body.

I saw athlete on fire running towards me after the attack, a neighbour tells BBC
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Neighbours said that on the day of the attack, they heard screams before Cheptegei came running towards them shouting for help.

Local media reported that Ndiema had sneaked into Cheptegei’s home in western Kenya’s Trans Nzoia county with a five-litre jerry can full of petrol.

Some of the fuel he poured on Cheptegei splashed onto his own body, according to reports. As an I, Ndiema got caught in the fire after he set his former partner alight.

Ndiema was to face charges as police said they were treating Cheptegei’s death as murder, with the former boyfriend named as the main suspect.

But now that Ndiema has died, the criminal case has been dropped and an inquest into the two deaths will be opened instead.

Both Ndiema and Cheptegei were admitted to Moi Hospital before their deaths.