Senior citizen pleads not guilty to murder of woman found dismembered in Sepanggar

Piluta Samad, a 72-year-old senior citizen, pleaded not guilty in the High Court to the murder of 44-year-old Hamidah Husin, also known as Lisa, whose dismembered body was discovered in Sepanggar. The case was read out to Piluta before judicial commissioner Dayang Ellyn Narisa Abang Ahmad, who scheduled a pre-trial case management hearing for October 19.

Piluta is accused of killing Hamidah between 6pm and 7pm on February 11, 2026, at an unidentified house in Kampung Sri Kenangan, Jalan Sepanggar. The charge falls under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which can result in either the death penalty or a 30-40 year prison sentence. Should the death penalty be avoided, Piluta faces a minimum of 12 strokes of the rotan, if not male and under 50.

He was first charged in the magistrate's court on February 27, but no plea was entered at that time. The case was transferred to the High Court on September 8 following a mental assessment requested by Piluta's legal team. Sabah prosecution director Naziah Mokhtar and deputy public prosecutor Samira Khalili represented the prosecution, while Piluta was defended by lawyers Datuk Ram Singh, Joan Goh, Ian Vun, Prem Elmer Ganasan, and Prabjit Singh Gill.