Criminal Court has convicted Marvin of murdering his wife Mary Grace, a Filipino nurse who worked at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).
Marvin was charged with the murder in October 2021.
It was initially stated that Mary had committed suicide by hanging when her body was taken to the hospital, with the prosecution accusing Marvin of murdering Mary after the police's investigation.
During today's sentencing, presiding Judge Muzammil Nazim said the statement from the doctors who attempted to treat Mary read that there was no indication Mary had died by hanging. The judge also said that the postmortem report showed that Mary died from trauma to the head.
The judge went on to say that even though there were no witnesses to the crime, she was last seen entering her residence. The judge stated that as evidence showed Marvin was in their residence at the time, Marvin's statement that Mary died by hanging was a lie straying from the truth.
According to the judge, photos of how to suffocate an individual were found on Marvin's phone, with Marvin not stating any reason as to why he would have such pictures. The judge continued, stating that as there was an attempt to hide the truth of Mary's death, the evidence that was gathered during the case goes against Marvin.
While referring to previous Supreme Court rulings, the judge said that the last person to have been with the deceased was the defendant, with the evidence strongly supporting this statement. The judge also said that as evidence showed that Marvin was the last person to have seen Mary alive, and as there was an attempt to hide the truth about Mary's death and by looking at the evidence, it can be seen that Marvin was the one who murdered Mary.
As per the judge, it was clear from Marvin's statements that there were conflicts between Marvin and Mary due to the relationship Marvin had with Haleemath Lamha, a Maldivian nurse who has been charged in this case as well. Evidence has shown that Marvin sought information regarding remarriage in the Philippines if the husband's wife were to pass away.
And so, the judge said that based on Marvin's actions and available evidence, Marvin had the intent to murder Mary. He also said that the charges have been proven against Marvin.
After Marvin was charged with the crime and Marvin was given an opportunity to speak regarding sentencing, Marvin's lawyer requested an opportunity to speak upon the sentence after conducting research. The judge granted the request.
Judge Nazim stated that the debate regarding the sentence and determining the sentence will be held on 1st July.
Along with Marvin, the prosecution charged Haleemath Lamha, a former nurse at IGMH who was said to be having an affair with Marvin, and colluded in murdering Mary. However, the court has not reached a decision regarding Lamha as of yet.
While Marvin was being held in remand, he had converted to Islam and changed his name to Yoosuf.
Marvin and Lamha were arrested in October 2021 and remanded until the end of the trial. Even though Lamha has been released from remand on various occasions by the Criminal Court, High Court had ordered Lamha be placed back in remand.
