Murder suspect Marvin converts to Islam, adopts the name Yoosuf

Marvin S. Y. Vargas, a Filipino nurse accused of murdering his wife, fellow nurse Mary Grace Oned Pineda, has converted to Islam in jail while on trial for the high-profile murder.

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 alleged mistress, Haleemath Lamha Abdul Rahman, is charged as an accomplice.

All three had worked as nurses at the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH)’s Emergency Room.

During a hearing in the case on Thursday, Criminal Court Judge Muzammil Nasir announced that the Islamic Ministry had informed the court that Marvin has converted to Islam and changed his name to Yoosuf.

The court had been set to hear closing arguments in the case on Thursday. However, it was postponed to March due to failure to secure some documents.

While hearings for Marvin and Lamha were previously held separately, they are now being tried together.

Both Marvin and Lamha were present during Thursday’s hearing.

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.