Man ‘killed father’ over step-mother
Mr David Mwangi Githambu in a Nairobi court on December 15, 2015 where he was charged with the murder of father Erick Githambu Mwangi on October 29, 2013 at Kinoo, in Nairobi. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The postmortem report seen by the Nation states “the cause of death was strangulation”.
An only son in a family of four has been charged with murdering his father two years ago for marrying a second wife.
Mr David Mwangi Githambu, 25, a father of one, appeared before High Court Judge Jessie Lessit.
The capital offence, which carries a mandatory death sentence, was read to him.
However, Mr Githambu was not required to take plea as he is waiting for a lawyer to be appointed for him.
Mr Githambu , a boda boda rider in Naivasha surrendered to police and “confessed that he killed his father, Erick Githambu Mwangi, in October 2013, at Kinoo in Nairobi.
The accused demanded to be arrested over the death of his father whom he strangled with another man who is at large.
The postmortem report seen by the Nation states “the cause of death was strangulation”.
The accused, who is the eldest child, told police he and his accomplice also attempted to kill his step-mother, Ms Maria Warete, by strangling her too, but she faked death.
KILLED FOR ABANDONING FAMILY
When he appeared before the Naivasha District Criminal Investigations Officer Superintendent Joseph Ondoro, he narrated how he strangled his father for deserting the family and marrying a second wife.
“My father sold our family land in Naivasha then moved to Nairobi. He bought a car for taxi business,” the accused told Mr Ondoro.
He added: “When the business picked, he married a second wife and deserted mother. I got annoyed and embarked on a mission to kill him.”
He said that his mother and siblings suffered a lot when his father stopped providing for them.
Mr Ondoro handed him over to the Dagoretti Criminal Investigations Office in Nairobi, together with the statement he had recorded, which was signed on each page.
His three sisters who attended Tuesday’s court session walked to the dock and greeted him.
Earlier, when the court clerk called him, he just stared at the judge.
He told the court he understands Kiswahili, not English.
The prosecutor said the accused is mentally fit to stand trial.
Eight witnesses will testify in the case.
Mr Githambu will be remanded at the Industrial Area Prison until December 22, when he will plead to the murder charge.
