The man who allegedly burned Ugandan Olympic marathoner Rebecca Cheptegei to death has died just days after the 33-year-old succumbed to his injuries.
The BBC An official at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in western Kenya confirmed that Cheptegei and her ex-boyfriend Dickson Ndiema died in the intensive care unit of the hospital on Monday night. Ndiema suffered burns to 40 percent of her body after accidentally burning herself in the attack.
“Despite life-saving efforts at 18:30 on Monday evening, respiratory failure developed as a result of severe respiratory tract burns and sepsis, which led to his death,” the press release said.
According to local media reports, Cheptegei was returning home from church with her two children earlier this month when she saw Ndiema waiting for her. The couple had argued over land she had bought in Trans Nzoia County to be closer to their athletic training centre in Kenya, when Ndiema allegedly poured a five-litre petrol can on her and set her on fire.
Cheptegei died in hospital last week after suffering burns to 80 percent of his body.
During the attack, Ndiema accidentally splashed some of the fuel on himself and was caught in the fire. Authorities were classifying Cheptegei's death as a murder, with Ndiema as the prime suspect. However, now that he is dead, the criminal case has been closed and a formal investigation into the deaths will instead be opened.
Just weeks before his murder, Cheptegei had finished 44th at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He had previously won gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.