Apex court upholds death sentence for ex-chef who murdered stepson

On December 20, 2015, a four-year-old stepson, Aidil Adha Affendi, suffered fatal injuries in Klang, Malaysia. His former chef stepfather, Sazly Zambry, was sentenced to death following his conviction in the Federal Court. The court unanimously dismissed Sazly's appeal, agreeing that strong circumstantial evidence established his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Justice Rhodzariah Bujang, chairing the three-member bench, ruled that the death sentence was the only suitable punishment for the heinous and diabolical crime. The prosecution presented compelling evidence of Sazly's culpability, including the discovery of 29 external injuries on the child's body and head.

Sazly had sought a neighbor's assistance to dispose of the child's body, claiming an unnamed friend had caused the death. He also prevented his wife from opening the door and resisted arrest when police arrived at the scene. The neighbor became suspicious and reported the incident to the police, who eventually found the child's body in an unused toilet at Sazly's house.

Forensic investigators recovered several items with mixed DNA evidence, linking Sazly to the crime scene. A post-mortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was severe head injury due to blunt trauma. Sazly denied causing the fatal injuries but could not provide a reasonable explanation for the child's wounds.