In the wake of his sister’s brutal murder by hammer and knife last month, 37-year-old Alpha Bah found himself not only grieving the sudden death of a sibling, but taking care of her four children in addition to his own 8-year-old son.
“It’s very difficult,” both physically and emotionally, Bah told The Dispatch at his home on Columbus’ North Side.
In addition to the extra responsibilities of ferrying five kids to and from school, Bah said he and his wife are in the process of getting therapy for his nieces and nephews to help them cope with the new reality of his sister’s passing. He said he is trying his hardest to not disrupt the children’s routine.
Alpha’s sister, 32-year-old Mariama Bah, was killed by her husband, 55-year-old Hassana Jalloh, on the morning of Aug. 22 at the couple’s apartment in the 2100 block of Yorkhull Lane, Columbus police said. Body camera video from responding officers shows Jalloh surrendering to police and telling them that he used a knife and a hammer to carry out the act.