Police guarding murder suspect in a Kiambu hospital

Limuru police boss Moses Owiti shows the car suspected to have been used in the murder of Anne Wanyoike on July 18, 2014. The murder suspect, Andrew Njendu, was under police guard in a Limuru hospital, where he was recovering from a drug overdose. PHOTO | ANNE MACHARIA | NATION

What you need to know:

  • Andrew Njendu is recovering from a drug overdose.
  • He is the main suspect in the murder of Anne Wanyoike, 28, on Friday night July 18, 2014.
  • He was first admitted to Thika Level 5 Hospital from where police transferred him.
  • A vehicle suspected to have been used during the murder has also been recovered.

A man suspected of murdering his estranged girlfriend and attempting suicide is under police guard in a Limuru hospital.

Police were Thursday guarding the 29-year-old man, identified as Andrew Njendu, at Tigoni District Hospital in Limuru.

Mr Njendu is suspected of killing his girlfriend and dumping her body on the side of a road.

He was chained to his hospital bed, where he was recovering from a drug overdose that resulted from his attempt to commit suicide after allegedly killing Anne Wanyoike, 28, on the night of July 18, 2014.

Ms Wanyoike’s body was found on the Kabuku-Kamandura road with a deep stab wound in her throat and a cut across her face.

After the body was recovered, phone calls made to the boyfriend, who was the last person seen with her, went unanswered.

Police investigations revealed that the boyfriend was the main suspect. Police then blocked the bank accounts of the suspected murderer and also contacted the immigration department to ensure the suspect did not leave the country.

AT THIKA HOSPITAL

A few days later, Limuru police boss Moses Owiti said he was informed that a patient whose details matched those of the suspect had been admitted to Thika Level 5 Hospital.

He sent police officers there and they found the suspect recovering from a reported drug overdose. He also had a cut on his hand.

“We suspect the deceased struggled with the suspect and that is how the suspect suffered a wound on his hand. The grass at the scene where Ms Wanyoike’s body was found showed signs of disturbance, indicating that she probably struggled before dying. It was as if she was dumped there and left to die,” said Mr Owiti.

He added that police also recovered the saloon car suspected to have been used on the night of the murder. It was dumped in Nairobi, with blood stains on the driver and the front passenger seats.

MURDER WEAPON

Inside the car, Mr Owiti said, police also recovered the suspected murder weapon (a knife), personal effects of the deceased, one of her shoes (the other was at the murder scene) and also a bloody shirt that the man is suspected to have been wearing as he committed the murder.

“We have taken all the exhibits to the government chemist (and) lifted finger prints from the murder weapon. The suspect will also undergo a DNA test because he has a cut on his hand to ensure there is a solid case in court.”

“The suspect will remain under 24-hour police guard at the hospital until he is strong enough to be arraigned in court to face murder charges,” said Mr Owiti.

Police were still investigating and looking for other persons who might have assisted the suspect to travel from Nairobi to Thika.

They are also looking for the hideout he might have been using in Thika.

The deceased woman's brother, James Njoroge, said Ms Wanyoike was an employee of Barclays Bank's Parklands branch and was estranged from the boyfriend, who was still pursuing her.

They had a 5-year-old boy.

PHONE CALL

Mr Njoroge also confirmed that on the night his sister was murdered, he received a phone call from her informing him that she was with her boyfriend, and that was the last time the family heard from her.

Mr Njoroge added that the suspect had a car with which he was attempting to lure Ms Wanyoike back into his life.

However, police investigations revealed that the car was actually rented from a car-hire service.

The deceased will be buried Friday at the family's home in Mutarakwa, Limuru.