Man accused of killing best friend to be held for 10 days

A boda boda rider, John Mwangi, 34, accused of killing his best friend being escorted to police cells after being presented in Wang'uru court, Kirinyaga County. The court allowed police to hold him for 10 days to allow detectives complete their investigations

Photo credit: George Munene I Nation Media Group

A court in Wang'uru, Kirinyaga County, on Monday allowed police to hold for 10 days a boda boda rider who allegedly killed his best friend and buried him in a septic tank.

Chief Magistrate Lorot Abdulqadir ordered the suspect, John Mwangi, 34, to be locked up at the Wang'uru Police Station as detectives complete their investigations .

This followed a request by Inspector Paul Mwambere from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who told the court that police needed more time to question the suspect and take him to hospital for a mental assessment before he is charged with murder.

Mr Mwambere also said detectives were yet to record statements from key witnesses and send samples obtained at the murder scene for forensic analysis in Nairobi.

The case file also needed to be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice, he said.

The suspect, who was brought to court under tight security, will remain in custody until July 4 when he will be returned to court to face murder charges.

Mr Mwangi, who is also a mason, was accused of killing Stephen Murimi, 31, and dumping his body in a septic tank in a suspected ritual act.

After the alleged grisly killing, Mr Mwangi disappeared but he was flushed out of his hideout in Nanyuki by detectives acting on a tip-off.

Last Thursday, a sombre mood engulfed the village as police pulled out the body of the victim from the tank.

The body was wrapped in a bed sheet, raising suspicion Mr Murimi was hacked to death as he slept.

His clothes, a pair of shoes, a jacket and underwear were found in a bedroom in the suspect’s house.

Mr Murimi’s family said he was lured to his death last week.

They said Mr Murimi was working as a waiter in Chuka when the suspect called him last Friday and asked him to resign and return home so that the two could together venture into the beer business, which supposedly pays more.

He reportedly lied to an unsuspecting Mr Murimi that he had acquired a lot of money and had even bought a personal car.

The suspect promised to give Mr Murimi his motorcycle so that he could use it for the proposed business.

Impressed by the idea, Mr Murimi set out to meet the suspect, unaware that a death trap had been set for him.

On arrival, Mr Murimi alerted family members, who live in the neighbouring Kirogo village, that he was at his friend's home and that he would visit them soon.

Family members became suspicious when Mr Murimi failed to show up as he had pledged, and on Thursday they decided to check on him at the suspect's house but he was not there.

They asked the suspect to disclose Mr Murimi’s whereabouts but he declined and took off.

Shocked, the family reported the matter to the members of Nyumba Kumi, who started looking for Mr Murimi in the suspect’s compound.

They spotted fresh soil on the septic tank and called in the police.

The police found a body inside and pulled it out as family members and hundreds of residents and watched in disbelief.

"Before the gruesome killing, the suspect and the victim were bosom buddies and they used to visit each other often," said David Njeru, an uncle of Mr Murimi.

Residents believed the suspect was a member of a cult and that he could have sacrificed his friend to please the spirits of his gods.

"The suspect's lifestyle had suddenly changed. He had been living a luxurious life in his posh home and we suspect he had joined a cult, which forced him to get rid of his friend as a ritual," one resident said.