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Ugandan Man Sentenced to 105 Years for String of Murders
A Ugandan high court Wednesday sentenced a man to 105 years in prison for the brutal murders of five women and a baby in Kampala. Musa Musasizi, an unemployed resident of Nakulabye, confessed to the crimes and was convicted by Judge Margaret Mutonyi.
Musasizi’s reign of terror began in February 2021 with the murder of Mackline Ahereza. He was later charged alongside an accomplice, Abdul Kasaija, for attempting to conceal the body. Over the next few weeks, Musasizi lured and killed four more women: Noreen Nabirye, Violet Kansiime, Abigail Nakitende, and Elizabeth Mutesi. He even went as far as murdering Kansiime’s three-month-old baby.
The court heard chilling details of Musasizi’s modus operandi. He would gain the victims’ trust, engage in sexual relations, and then brutally kill them by either blunt force trauma or strangulation. He would then dispose of the bodies near his residence and set them on fire.
Motives for the killings remain unclear, though Musasizi reportedly confessed to suspecting Ahereza of infidelity and rejecting Mutesi’s request for more money after intimacy. Police also recovered clothing belonging to the victims from Musasizi’s neighbor’s latrine.
40 Years for Brutal Murder of Medical Student Ivy Wangeci
Naftali Njami Kinuthia was Wednesday December 13 sentenced to 40 years in prison for the brutal murder of Moi University medical student Ivy Wangeci, after a four-year trial that gripped the nation. Kinuthia, 33, was found guilty on October 26 of the 2019 killing that occurred outside Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
Justice Stephen Githinji, who presided over the trial, stated that the prosecution had proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt. He dismissed Kinuthia’s defense attorney’s request for a non-custodial sentence, emphasizing the severity of the crime.
“The circumstances of this case do not invite sympathy,” Justice Githinji said. “The accused denied the deceased a chance to go on with her life, and she would have graduated as a doctor.”
Wangeci’s family, through their lawyer, expressed their desire for the harshest possible punishment for Kinuthia. They emphasized the loss of a promising future doctor and the lack of remorse shown by the perpetrator.
“We are seeking a harsh punishment against the accused and, just like in the Bible, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” said Kiroko Ndegwa, the family’s lawyer.
The judge awarded Kinuthia a 40-year custodial sentence, taking into account the manner of the offense and the motive behind it. He declined to impose the death penalty as requested by Wangeci’s family, explaining that the court does not condone an eye for an eye approach.
Kinuthia’s defense attorney argued for leniency, claiming his client was remorseful and seeking a second chance to reintegrate into society. However, Justice Githinji highlighted the premeditation and planning involved in the crime, pointing to evidence such as Kinuthia purchasing a new axe specifically for the attack.
“If he had no intention to kill, he had the opportunity to attack the victim using his bare fist. But he had an axe and a knife and used the axe, a lethal and dangerous weapon, to strike the medical student.
“There are other smaller axes with wooden handles. The accused had a metal axe with a metal handle and claimed that he had it in his car for security reasons. I do not agree with him,” he said.
Witness testimonies and forensic reports revealed Kinuthia’s deliberate intent to harm Wangeci. Additionally, Kinuthia’s claim of a romantic relationship with the victim was refuted by a lack of digital evidence, further solidifying the case against him.
“The accused claimed that his case was a matter of provocation and heat of passion. But the court notes the two were not lovers and were not married. They were just old friends,” the judge said.
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