Marvin told investigators Mary committed suicide after fight

One of the investigative officers involved in the investigation into the murder of Filipino nurse Mary Grace Oned Pineda, told the court on Wednesday that her husband, Marvin S. Y. Vargas told investigators Mary hanged herself to death after the couple had a fight.

Mary was killed in her apartment on the first floor of Ma. Udhuheykokaage in Male’ City in the afternoon of October 19, 2021.

Her husband, Marvin is charged with murder with intent, while his mistress, Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman is charged as an accomplice.

All three had worked as nurses at IGMH’s ER.

The Criminal Court heard testimony from three state witnesses on Wednesday; the doctor who treated Mary after she was brought in, a nurse who worked at IGMH’s ER, and an investigative officer from the Serious and Organized Crime Department.

The officer, Reshan Mohamed told the court he arrived at IGMH’s ER at around 1:15 pm on October 19, 2021.

He questioned Marvin at the hospital.

According to Reshan, Marvin told him that he had been repairing a tap in their bathroom when Mary arrived home from work that day. Marvin said that they had initially fought because the tap hadn’t been fixed, but the argument soon escalated because of Marvin’s extramarital affair.

Marvin told the investigator that he left the bedroom after Mary told him to “leave me alone.”

He claimed he later found Mary hanging from a bedsheet tied to a window. He said he cut the bedsheet using a pair of scissors.

Marvin said Mary had been responsive when he lay her on the floor.

Marvin told the investigator that Mary remained unresponsive after he splashed water on her face and performed CPR. He said that he called his mother, and did not call an ambulance until after his mother arrived.

Other witnesses testified that Marvin told him a different story. There were inconsistencies between what he told the doctor who first attended to Mary and the other doctors who arrived later.

The investigator said that they found the wrapper to a syringe from their bedroom. When questioned, Marvin told him that it was from a syringe brought by a paramedic from IGMH.

Marvin had taken Mary’s body to IGMH in an ambulance mere minutes after she had gone to home for her break from work. He initially claimed her death as a suicide by hanging, and later changed his story and said she had suddenly collapsed.

Police found the death suspicious and opened an investigation.

Marvin was arrested on October 27, 2021. And Lamha was arrested on December 16, 2021.

An autopsy on Mary showed she died from injuries to her neck and head. Examiners also found traces succinylcholine - a medication used to cause short-term paralysis as part of general anesthesia - in her blood.

Investigators found a used succinylcholine injection, along with two other restricted injections from Lamha’s apartment.

Marvin faces a life sentence if found guilty, while Lamha faces at least six years in prison.