Starlet Wahu murder case: Lawyer claims suspect John Matara's life is in danger
Murder suspect John Matara at the Makadara Law Courts on January 26, 2024.
The lawyer for murder suspect John Matara, who is being held over the killing of socialite Starlet Wahu in a Nairobi's South B apartment, has claimed that his client's life is in danger.
Mr Samuel Ayora claimed on Friday that Mr Matara was physically assaulted by an unknown person inside the court premises as he was being escorted to the courtroom at the Makadara Law Courts.
While challenging the court's decision to detain his client for another seven days after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) sought an extension of the custodial order to complete investigations, the lawyer argued that Mr Matara remained unsafe even in police custody.
Mr Ayora said that during his detention at the Industrial Area Police Station, two people attempted to forcibly remove his client from the police cells.
The orders to detain the suspect were granted on Friday by Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti of the Makadara Law Courts.
John Matara, the prime suspect in the murder of Starlet Wahu.
The investigating officer in the case, Sergeant Alex Chokera, told the court that he had submitted the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) after completing investigations, but the ODPP had pointed out new areas that needed to be covered.
Despite the murder suspect having been held in custody for 21 days, Sergeant Chokera sought an extension of the orders to cover areas the ODPP wanted to be investigated before charging him.
The ODPP had written a two-page letter to the DCI, detailing its findings from the investigation and identifying the gaps in the probe that should be addressed to tighten the evidence against the suspect.
The lawyer said that during Matara's 21-day detention, he was only questioned twice by the police on two different dates and nothing happened for the other 19 days.
Mr Ayora argued that the 21 days given earlier was enough for the DCI to complete the investigation into the murder, adding that the DCI and the ODPP did not disclose the areas of the investigation that were incomplete.
Starlet Wahu Mwangi whose body was found at an apartment in South B, Nairobi.
However, the court ordered Mr Ayora to report the assault against his client and other complaints to the police for proper investigations to be carried out.
The DCI is investigating a case of murder contrary to Section 203 read with Section 204 of the Penal Code, but could recommend an additional charge of robbery with violence should the investigation reveal that Matara stole Wahu's property during the incident.
Wahu's body was discovered on January 3, 2024 in the apartment where she had checked in with Mr Matara.
Mr Matara was arrested the following day at Mbagathi Hospital, where he had sought treatment for an injury.
He is believed to have sustained the injury during a scuffle with the deceased at the South B apartment.
The case will be mentioned on February 2 when the DPP is expected to charge the suspect.
