Lawrence Warunge Changes Tune After Mental Tests

warunge
Lawrence Njoroge warunge during a case trial in Kiambu Law Courts On Tuesday January 26, 2021
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Lawrence Warunge, a 22-year-old man who is accused of killing his four family members and a farmhand on the night of January 6, 2021, has taken a plea.

Warunge, who was appearing before lady justice Mary Kasongo virtually, pleaded not guilty to the five counts of murder.

The suspect is accused of killing his father Nicholas Warunge, mother Anne Warunge, brother Christian Njenga, nephew Maxwell Njenga and farmhand James Kinyanjui.

Lawrence Warunge and Sarah Muthoni when they appeared in court on January 11, 2021.
Lawrence Warunge and Sarah Muthoni when they appeared in court on January 11, 2021.

Justice Kasongo directed that Warunge be remanded at Nairobi Industrial Area Prison and a hearing was scheduled for May 11, 2021.

The University student shocked many when he  confessed to the killings and told detectives that he had researched on ways he would take out his family.

He claimed that his actions were motivated by Killing Eve, a British dark comedy-drama and went on to reveal that he was influenced by, Villanelle, a psychopathic assassin character in the TV series.

His plea taking was, however, halted after he was declared ‘unfit’ following a mental assessment in January.

On Tuesday, April 13, the court allowed him to take plea after a psychiatric report released by Mathari Mental Hospital, confirmed that he was now fit for trial.

Autopsy results disclosed that the five victims had similar injuries, stab wounds to the chest and blunt force trauma to the head. Great vessels of the neck were injured thus leading to massive blood loss and eventual death.

"The injuries looked pretty similar and measured almost the same. The measurements of the stab wounds varied between three to four centimeters," Chief pathologist Johansen Oduor stated.

He further stated that the same weapon was used on all five, or very similar.

"It is most likely that one person conducted the murders," he added.

Warunge's girlfriend, Sarah Muthoni, will be a state witness in the case. Initially, she had presented to court as the second accused.

Lawrence Warunge and Sarah Muthoni when they appeared in court on January 11, 2021.
Lawrence Warunge and Sarah Muthoni when they appeared in court on January 11, 2021.
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