Malay Who Beheaded Coworker in ‘Lottery-Winning Ritual’ Avoids Death

Posted on: January 11, 2024, 08:00h. 

Last updated on: January 11, 2024, 11:14h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

A Malaysian man who beheaded a coworker as part of a black magic ritual he hoped would win him the lottery has had his death sentence commuted.

Francis a/l Anthonysamy, lottery, Malaysia, black magic
Francis a/l Anthonysamy believed that burying a human head would be the key to lottery riches after seeking the advice of a Malay shaman. (Image: Shutterstock)

Francis a/l Anthonysamy (Francis son of Anthonysamy) was sentenced to hang in 1996 for the murder of a Bangladeshi national, Ali Ahammed Mohammed Ullah. The victim was a fellow worker at the Kim Swee Leong oil palm plantation in Kuala Lumpur who had the misfortune of becoming an unwitting participant in Francis’ twisted and deadly gambling strategy.

Before the killing, Francis had consulted a bomoh, a Malay shaman or witch doctor, who advised him that to have any chance of winning the Malaysian lottery, he would first need to bury a human head.

Francis used a rattan cane to beat Ali Ahammed unconscious, before decapitating him, according to court documents. He then buried the victim’s head in the oil palm plantation.

Needless to say, Francis’ gambit failed to have the desired effect and he didn’t strike it rich.

Sentenced to Life

Francis, now 52, was arrested a week after the murder on Aug. 26, 1994, and has been incarcerated ever since. On Thursday, his sentence was commuted to 35 years in prison, which means he will be free in slightly more than five years.

Francis is the beneficiary of a new law that allows all 1,020 prisoners currently on death row in Malaysia to apply to review their respective sentences.

Francis’ lawyer argued that while his client’s crime was shocking, it was not an act of terrorism and only involved one victim.

But deputy public prosecutor How May Ling objected, describing the offense as “gruesome” and “brutal.”

“The offense was premeditated and done with a motive to sacrifice an innocent life to obtain a human skull for the purpose of getting [winning lottery numbers]” How said, as reported and translated by The New Straits Times.

Demonic Pact

Francis isn’t the only individual prepared to commit horrific crimes in an attempt to gain a superstitious edge in the lottery. Two sisters stabbed to death by a stranger in a park in northeast London in June 2021 were “sacrificed” as part of a satanic bargain to hit the jackpot, UK prosecutors said.

The perpetrator, Danyal Hussein, then 19, had made a pact with a demon in which he agreed to sacrifice women for financial gain, according to a note found in his home. He had purchased three lottery tickets before the killings.

In October 2021, he was sent to prison for 35 years.