The Murder of Henry Nowak: Sin, Justice, and Gospel Hope – A Reformed Christian Perspective

June 2, 2026

The shocking footage being replayed on our TV’s this week has been a harrowing reminder of how fallen we are.

On December 3, 2025, 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak was stabbed to death in Southampton by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa, who was carrying a large dagger. Digwa claimed self-defence after alleging that Henry had racially attacked him. The court found these claims false. Digwa’s lies to the police contributed to officers initially treating the dying Henry as a suspect and handcuffing him rather than providing immediate medical aid. Henry’s family has stated that he “did not die with dignity.”

Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years. His mother was convicted of assisting an offender by hiding the weapon.

As Reformed Christians, we must approach this tragedy through the lens of Scripture, the only infallible rule for faith and life. What follows is not partisan commentary but an attempt to bring biblical truth to bear on murder, lies, authority, partiality, and the hope we have in Christ.

The Sin of Murder

“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). This commandment reflects the reality that every human being is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; 9:6). To take innocent life is to assault God’s image and to usurp His prerogative as the Giver and Taker of life.

The court convicted Digwa of murder after rejecting his claims of self-defence and racist provocation as false. Henry had said nothing racist, and there was no lawful basis for the use of lethal force. This was deliberate, unjustified killing, the fruit of a heart capable of great evil. As Jesus taught, murder begins in the heart with anger and contempt (Matthew 5:21-22). Reformed theology calls this total depravity: apart from regenerating grace, every person’s heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). The Henry Nowak case is a painful illustration of that biblical reality.

The Sin of Lying and the Perversion of Justice

Digwa did not stop at murder. He lied repeatedly, to bystanders, to his own family, and to the police, claiming he had been the victim of a racist attack. These lies were maintained even while Henry lay dying and pleading for help. The judge described them as “wicked lies” that obstructed justice.

God hates “lying lips” (Proverbs 12:22) and “a false witness who breathes out lies” (Proverbs 14:5). When lies distort a crime scene and delay aid to a dying man, they compound the original evil. The ninth commandment is not optional; it is essential to any society that would call itself just.

The God-Given Duty of Civil Authority and the Sin of Partiality

Scripture is clear about the role of governing authorities:

“For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” (Romans 13:4)

Police officers are ministers of God for good when they protect the innocent and punish the guilty. When officers arrived, they encountered a young man who had been stabbed and was saying he could not breathe. The correct response was immediate medical intervention and protection of the victim. Instead, the false narrative led to Henry being treated as the suspect.

This was a failure of justice. Biblical law repeatedly forbids partiality:

“You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike.” (Deuteronomy 1:17)

“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour.” (Leviticus 19:15)

Partiality, whether motivated by fear of accusations, institutional training, ideological pressure, or any other cause, is sin. James calls showing partiality “sin” and equates it with breaking the whole law (James 2:1-9). When authorities hesitate to believe a dying victim because of the narrative offered by his attacker, justice has been perverted. The subsequent apology from Hampshire Police and the ongoing Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation are necessary but insufficient. True repentance requires a return to impartial, evidence-based policing that serves all citizens equally.

Religious liberty is a precious gift, but it does not grant any individual the right to carry large offensive weapons in public in ways that endanger others. Civil law, applied equally, must govern such matters. No tradition is above the requirement of public safety and equal justice under law.

Gospel Hope in a Fallen World

We live east of Eden. Sin is real, death is real, and injustice occurs. Yet the same Bible that exposes our depravity also proclaims the only remedy.

Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, was Himself murdered by sinful men. Through His death and resurrection He has defeated sin, death, and the grave. He offers full forgiveness to murderers, liars, and all who repent and believe. There is no sinner beyond the reach of His grace, though earthly consequences remain.

To Henry’s family: We grieve with you. Your son was loved, and his death is a profound evil. May the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) sustain you. May you know the hope of the resurrection and the promise that those who mourn will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). We pray you will find in Christ the peace this world cannot give.

To Vickrum Digwa and all who have done wrong: Earthly justice has spoken. But there is a higher Judge. Repent and believe the gospel while it is still called “today.”

To the church: Pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Speak truth. Reject every form of partiality. Live as citizens of the heavenly kingdom while faithfully engaging the earthly one. Be salt and light in a culture that desperately needs both.

The murder of Henry Nowak is a solemn reminder that we inhabit a world under the curse of sin. But it is also an invitation to cling more tightly to the One who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In Him alone is perfect justice and everlasting mercy.

Soli Deo Gloria.