TAIPING: A former cook was sentenced to death at the Taiping Magistrate's Court today after he was found guilty of murdering a female Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Penang student, two years ago.
The sentence against Syarafi Abu, 27, was meted out by Judicial Commissioner Mohamed Zaini Mazlan after ruling that the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case.
Syarafi was charged with murdering Nur Syuhada Johari, 20, a UiTM Permatang Pauh campus student, at KM 228.2 of the North-South Expressway near Bukit Gantang at 11.55am on Feb 2, 2015.
He was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which provides for the death penalty if found guilty.
The prosecution was represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Yusaini Amer Abdul Karim, Amril Johari and Mohd Azrul Faidz while the accused was represented by Datuk Naran Singh.
It was previously reported that Nur Syuhada was slashed on the neck by Syarafi, who was her boyfriend, as they were in a car along the highway on the day of the incident.
Nur Syuhada died two hours later while receiving treatment at the Kuala Kangsar Hospital.