The man responsible for setting Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei on fire last Sunday has also died from the injuries he sustained during the deadly attack on the Ugandan athlete.
Cheptegei, 33, died last week in a hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, due to multiple organ failure after suffering 80 percent burns after her ex-boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, doused her with petrol and set her ablaze. Ndiema, who also suffered severe burns, was taken to the same hospital, where Kenyan police said he would be arrested once he recovered from his injuries. However, officials at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital confirmed this morning that Ndiema also died from his injuries last night.
Killer Boyfriend Dies
"Dickson Ndiema Marangach has died from 30 per cent burns he sustained when he set his girlfriend Rebecca Cheptegei ablaze last week," the statement read.
"The police believe he was burnt by the same petrol he used in setting Rebecca ablaze following a dispute over ownership of land one of them had bought."
Ndiema's brutal assault on Cheptegei took place on Sunday, September 1, following a heated argument.
Neighbors said they heard a loud argument between the couple at Cheptegei's home in Kenya's western Trans Nzoia County, where the athlete had recently relocated to access better training facilities.
It is believed that Ndiema lost control, poured petrol from a jerry can on Cheptegei, and set her on fire.Upon hearing the disturbance, neighbors rushed over and found the Olympian engulfed in flames, but their attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful.
Agnes Barabara, a neighbor living next to Cheptegei's home, told the BBC: "When I came out, I saw Rebecca running toward my house, on fire and shouting for help."
"As I went to look for water and started calling out for help, her assailant appeared again and doused more petrol on her."
Barabara said that she couldn't eat for days after witnessing the incident from just a few meters away, solemnly noting that she had never seen anyone "burned alive" before.
Brutal Murder of a Star
Cheptegei, born in Kenya near the Ugandan border, chose to represent Uganda as her athletic career began to flourish.
A former sergeant in the Uganda People's Defence Forces, Cheptegei displayed her endurance running abilities and committed to competing in marathons and long-distance events at the highest levels.
In 2022, she won gold in the up-and-downhill mountain race at the inaugural World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand.
Earlier that year, Cheptegei also won the Padova marathon in Italy and finished second in the Abu Dhabi marathon with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 47 seconds, the second-fastest time ever recorded by a female Ugandan.
Following the attack, she was rushed to the intensive care unit at Eldoret's Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, suffering from severe burns covering about 80% of her body.
Although she was stabilized initially, Dr. Owen Menach, the hospital's acting director, confirmed that Cheptegei died on Wednesday night as her organs failed one by one.
Ndiema, identified by police as the primary suspect in the murder investigation, also sustained severe burns and was expected to be charged once his condition improved. However, he reportedly died before that could happen.
Kenyan authorities said they found a five-liter jerry can, a bag, and a burned phone at the scene.
Cheptegei is survived by two children, aged nine and eleven, whose father is a different man residing in Uganda.
One of Cheptegei's daughters reportedly witnessed the attack at her mother's home last Sunday.
