Marvin and Lamha found guilty of Nurse Mary’s murder

Marvin S. Y. Vargas and his alleged mistress Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman have both been found guilty of murdering the former’s wife, Mary Grace Oned Pineda.

Mary was killed in her apartment on the first floor of Ma. Udhuheykokaage in Male’ City in the afternoon of October 19, 2021.

Her husband, Marvin was charged with murder with intent, while his alleged mistress, Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman, was charged as an accomplice.

All three had worked as nurses at the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH)’s Emergency Room.

The Criminal Court found both Marvin and Lamha guilty of Mary’s murder in separate hearings held on Monday afternoon.

However, the sentencing is scheduled for a later date.

The prosecution produced over 100 pieces of evidence against the duo, including over 70 witnesses.

The evidence includes chatlogs of conversations between the two, in which they discussed how the laws in Philippines prevented Marvin from taking a second wife. 

Marvin had taken Mary’s body to IGMH in an ambulance mere minutes after she had gone to home for her break from work. He initially claimed her death as a suicide by hanging, and later changed his story and said she had suddenly collapsed.

Police found the death suspicious and opened an investigation.

Marvin was arrested on October 27, 2021. And Lamha was arrested on December 16, 2021.

An autopsy on Mary showed she died from injuries to her neck and head. Examiners also found traces succinylcholine - a medication used to cause short-term paralysis as part of general anesthesia - in her blood.

Investigators found a used succinylcholine injection, along with two other restricted injections from Lamha’s apartment.

Marvin faces a life sentence, while Lamha faces at least six years in prison.