Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Model who claimed she 'accidentally shot her millionaire British ex-boyfriend three times' found guilty of murder
A Slovakian model who shot her British millionaire ex-boyfriend twice in the head has been found guilty of his murder at a court in Spain.
Mayka Kukucova, 26, claimed she "never meant to hurt" Andrew Bush, who died at his home near Marbella on the Costa del Sol.
She told the Ciudad de la Justicia in Malaga that the former jewellery store owner died during a violent struggle and she broke down in tears when photos of his body were shown in court.
Mr Bush had returned home unexpectedly from a trip to the UK while his ex-girlfriend was in his house collecting her things.
Kukucova said "shots were fired" during the fight on April 4, 2014, but denied murder, saying that she had acted in self-defence.
But she was convicted of murder today.
Earlier in the trial, the model told the trial: "I was watching television, then I heard Andy in the garden. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I went upstairs to get dressed.
"When he came and saw me he told his girlfriend (Maria Korotaeva) to go out to the car.
"He started shouting and hitting me and took me strongly by the arms. I said I wanted to go but he said no.
"He was shouting that he was going to kill me and my family."
After a struggle down the stairs, Kukucova said: "Then the gun was in my hands. I threw myself on him and we were fighting and then the gun went off.
"I couldn't hear anything. I was just trying to get away. I didn't want to hurt him."
She said she had tried to go back upstairs but there was a struggle on the staircase as Mr Bush came after her.
She said of the struggle: "I don't know how many times the gun went off."
The court heard that Kukucova then left the house and told Ms Korotaeva to get out of Mr Bush's car before driving off.
Her defence counsel Carlos Larranaga said: "The facts are that a person has died. There was a homicide but we have not accepted that my client is a murderer.
"My client shot him."
He told the jury: "You must decide if Mr Bush was killed in an aggressive way, or as a method of defence."
The pair met when Kukucova worked at a jewellery store owned by Mr Bush in Bristol.
Kukucova said they were together for two-and-a-half years before the relationship broke down.
Her account of the events leading up to Mr Bush's death in April 2014 came after the prosecution told the court he died after being shot three times, once in the shoulder and twice in the head.
Kukucova has not entered a plea in relation to killing Mr Bush, 48.
The court heard that she was arrested after handing herself in four days after the shooting in her home town of Nova Bosaca in Slovakia.
She was detained on suspicion of "consumed intentional homicide" before being extradited to Spain to face charges of murder and vehicle theft.
Ms Korotaeva, a Russian national, met Mr Bush while studying as an undergraduate at the University of the West of England.
Following his death, she posted a picture of the couple on Instagram with the message: "I will always love you. You will always be in my heart. The man who changed my world for better. My teacher. I wish I could of saved you. RIP Andy Bush."
Press Association
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