A 25-YEAR-OLD man in Huye District has been found guilty of murdering his step mother and sentenced to 20 years in jail.Damascene Nsabimana was found guilty of murdering Speciose Nyirahuku, 60, on January 6 in an incident that shocked residents of Maraba sector.Judge Joseph Londa Nyirahuku (not related to the victim) of the Huye Intermediate Court read out the verdict on Friday before a packed room at Maraba sector offices, the same venue where the hearing was held last Tuesday.The trial had been taken to the rural Maraba sector to enable residents follow the proceedings.While reading the ruling, Judge Londa said he based his decision on evidence provided during the hearing, testimonies of eyewitnesses, photos of the victim as well as the post-mortem report, among others."Based on evidence provided to this court, it is clear that the suspect acted intentionally,” the judge ruled."The court sentences him (Nsabimana) to 20 years in jail,” the judge added.Nsabimana had earlier pleaded guilty to the charges but told the court that he acted in self-defence against his Nyirahuku whom he accused of sorcery.The Judge said he considered several mitigating factors to give the convict a lenient sentence. Under the Rwandan law, intentional murder carries a maximum sentence (life in jail) but the sentence can be reduced depending on the   circumstances.During the hearing, the defence lawyer, Steven Karinganire, pleaded with the court to consider the fact that the suspect turned himself in after committing the offence.He also said the suspect was a first time offender and young, urging a lenient sentence to allow him reform and return to serve his community.However, the court rejected the defence’s call to consider the crime as a case of battery or bodily injuries which resulted into death."Evidence shows that the murder was intentional and premeditated,” the Judge ruled.While premeditated murder carries life imprisonment according to the penal code, battery or bodily injuries which result into death carry a prison sentence of 10 to 15 years.Both the convict and prosecution have 30 days to appeal the ruling.During the reading of the sentence, Nsabimana, who wore red slippers, old black trousers and a T-shirt, stood in silence before the judge and did not show any emotions. He hid his face from the camera whenever journalists attempted to take his photoAfter the ruling, Nsabimana was handcuffed and escorted by armed policemen who took him to a waiting pick-up vehicle that immediately drove off.Residents who attended the ruling gathered outside the room in small groups discussing the ruling.Some of them told The New Times that though the sentence is  less than what they expected, it sent a strong message to others who might attempt to commit murder."This trial has sent a strong message that criminals have no place in the community,” said one Clementine Nyiransengimana, who hailed the fact that residents had been allowed to follow the proceedings in the same area where the crime was committed.