Ugandan Sentenced to Death for Stabbing 4 Toddlers

KAMPALA, Uganda — A Ugandan court on Thursday sentenced Christopher Okello Onyum, a 39-year-old man holding Ugandan and U.S. citizenship, to death for stabbing four toddlers to death at a nursery school in the capital, an attack that ignited widespread public outrage over child safety.

The killings occurred on April 2 at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Centre, where Onyum targeted children aged 15 months to three years old. Police said he stabbed the victims before a staff member intervened by throwing a child's bicycle at him, prompting Onyum to chase her briefly. A guard then subdued him as he tried to flee, while angry parents attempted to lynch him on the spot. He was immediately detained.

Prosecutors told the court that Onyum confessed to the stabbings, stating he believed the act amounted to a "human sacrifice" that would make him rich. An examination of his phone and laptop revealed searches for "schools near me" and "ISIS beheading," though no clear political or religious motive emerged. Judge Alice Komuhangi Khaukha rejected the defense's insanity plea during sentencing, citing Onyum's history of psychiatric commitment and his laughter in the dock as insufficient...