M'sian man, 42, sentenced to death for murdering single mother, 53, who rejected his marriage proposal

A 42-year-old ex-poultry vendor, was sentenced to death on Nov. 4 for the murder of a single mother 20 years his senior who rejected his marriage proposal.

Mohd Nur Hussein Mohd Salleh, then 34, was found guilty of murdering Hamidah Abdul Rahman, 53, a shop assistant on Mar. 13, 2017.

The murder occurred between 3am and 5am at her house in Ipoh, Perak.

The Court of Appeal overturned the High Court's original sentence of 38 years in prison and 20 strokes of the cane, according to Bernama.

Hussein's appeal was dismissed, and the court imposed the death penalty.

They ruled that based on circumstantial evidence gathered by the prosecution, it was sufficient to show that he committed the murder.

Victim got engaged

The victim had been friends with Hussein since 2013, according to Free Malaysia Today.

He had once proposed marriage to the victim, but owing to their 20 year age gap, she rejected him.

The victim's daughter was reportedly opposed to their marriage as well.

Two months prior to the murder, the victim got engaged to a retired policeman.

Stabbed eight times

Justice Noorin who read out the court's decision said that Hussein had meticulously planned the murder just because of his unreciprocated love for the deceased, even going so far as to commit the act so brutally the victim's injuries were akin to slaughter, reported Bernama.

The victim was stabbed eight times, which severed a vein in her neck.

The judge further stated that Hussein had also attempted to set the room where the victim's body was found on fire.

Hussein had also planned an alibi — he visited a cybercafe to log in and out of during the events of the crime, Free Malaysia Today wrote.

Despite this, witnesses testified seeing him near the victim's house at the time of the incident.

No remorse

"This is a clear case of blatant disregard for human life. We agree that there is no remorse on the part of the appellant for committing such a crime. Additionally, he took valuable items belonging to both the victim and the victim's child and hid them," the judge said.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Amril Johari called for the death penalty in his submission, referencing the grisly nature of the crime and motive of jealousy, which he described as "akin tak dapat, orang lain tak dapat (if I can't have you, no one will)".

Top photo from Koriccca on Unsplash.