Death sentence upheld for man who stabbed lover 76 times

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court here yesterday upheld the death sentence of a former security guard, who murdered his lover by stabbing her 76 times nearly seven years ago.

The five-man bench, led by Justice Tan Sri Hasan Lah, held that Muhammad Faizul Mohd Ali’s conviction of the offence was safe.

Hasan dismissed Faizul’s final appeal against the conviction and death sentence, saying it did not have merit.

Faizul’s friend, Muhammad Zal Haziq Razali, escaped the gallows as the court acquitted and discharged him of the murder of bank clerk Rozana Mohd Yusak, 36.

Faizul, 26, and unemployed Zal Haziq, 29, were jointly charged with the murder at the deceased’s shophouse in Jalan Puncak Desa 2, Kepong, Gombak, Selangor, between midnight and 1.15am on Dec 21, 2011.

Hasan said the court agreed with the submissions by Zal Haziq’s counsel, Rao Jayananda, that there was insufficient evidence to link him to the murder.

The other presiding judges were Tan Sri Zainun Ali, Tan Sri Ramly Ali, Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin and Datuk Rohana Yusuf.

Faizul and Zal Haziq were convicted of the murder by the Shah Alam High Court in 2016. Both of them appealed to the Court of Appeal, but lost.

Rao argued that Zal Haziq had followed Faizul to the deceased’s house to rob, but there was no evidence to show common intention to commit the murder.

He said Zal Haziq did not enter the deceased’s apartment, but only stood outside the door, while Faizul went into the kitchen to take a knife and stabbed the deceased multiple times.

Lawyer Ridha Abdah Subri, representing Faizul, said the case should be retried as his client was not allowed to reassess the evidence he had given during examination-in-chief and cross-examination.

During re-examination by his counsel at the trial, Faizul had said he could not remember what he had testified earlier.

In his defence, Faizul admitted that he had taken drugs and consumed alcohol at that time.

He said the deceased had scolded him and without realising, he stabbed her with the knife he had taken from the kitchen.

He also said he did not remember how many times and which part of the body he stabbed the woman.

Deputy public prosecutor Aslinda Ahad said evidence showed there was common intention by both men to commit the murder.