Starlet Wahu Mwangi, the sister of controversial preacher Pastor Victor Kanyari, was brutally murdered on the night of January 3, 2024, at an Airbnb in South B, Nairobi.
Police found the lifeless body of the deceased in a pool of blood in room Y32 of the Papino building where the Airbnb is located.
“Walipata mschana tayari amebleed na ameaga dunia,” Makadara police commander Judith Nyongesa said.
“Alikata vein ya kuenda kwa roho ndo maana ilisababisha kifo chake ya haraka na hatungemuokoa kwa sababu alikua amevuja damu sana,” she added.
CCTV footage captured the last moments of 24-year-old Starlet Wahu and the main suspect in her murder 30-year-old John Matara.
The two were captured on the building’s ground floor at 8:11 pm on January 3, 2024. They could be seen conversing happily as they waited for the elevator to take them to the floor where the room they booked was.
Police said the two rented the Airbnb for a night.
A thorough inspection of the bedroom where the two were led to the identification of circumstantial evidence including an HIV test kit with negative results.
Used condoms, victim’s clothes, alcohol and a knife believed to be the murder weapons were also recovered.
“Tukapata simu ya rununu, condom mbili zenye moja imetumika na ingine haijatumika,” Makadara police commander Judith Nyongesa said.
“Kesi inaendelea tunataka kujua kiini ya huyu muuaji ni nini. Na kwa nini alifanyia huyu mschana mapenzi baadaye akamuua. Na alimuweka kwenye process ya kufanya HIV test ata akavaa kujizuia ugonjwa, akavaa condom na mwisho akamuua. Maybe he is a serial killer,” she added.
The suspect was not at the scene of the crime when police arrived. He was however traced to Mbagathi Hospital where he was found undergoing treatment for possible stab wounds.
“Ile kitu ilitusaidia ni nambari yake ya simu ambayo watu wetu wa DCI waliweza kutrack mbaka Mbagathi hospital akanaswa,” Nyongesa revealed.
Police said that it was not clear at that moment if Matara stabbed himself after killing Starlet as a way of misleading investigators upon his arrest or if he was stabbed by the deceased during a scuffle.
Detectives are seeking to know if Matara and Starlet knew each other prior to the tragic murder or if it was a hookup that went horribly wrong.
The suspect is currently held at the Industrial Area Remand Prison as police continue with their investigations.
A postmortem was conducted on the body of the deceased on Friday, January 5 at the city mortuary under the watch of Dr Peter Ndegwa.
The autopsy examination confirmed Starlet Wahu died due to a haemorrhage injury (bleeding from a damaged blood vessel) caused by a penetrating stab wound on the main blood vessel on the right thigh. The deceased also had signs of strangulation.
Starlet Wahu’s body is being preserved at City Mortuary for burial preparations.
