Court finds university student guilty of murdering 15-year-old girl

A Machakos University student accused of killing a 15-year-old girl five years ago has been found guilty of murder by the High Court in Naivasha.

Lady Justice Grace Nzioka remanded Fredrick Mwonjeria, 22, in prison awaiting sentencing.

The judge noted that though the accused was a minor when the incident occurred, he had malice when he committed the offence by stabbing the Form Two girl 12 times.

Mwonjoria was a student at Nanyuki High school when the incident occurred on November 28, 2019. He was found guilty of murdering Valerian Njeri at Mirera estate, Naivasha.

The two were neighbors in the estate that is home to tens of flower farm workers when the incident occurred.

In the case, Mwonjoria, 17 years then attacked the girl using a knife after wooing her into their home in Mirera estate 20kms from Naivasha town.

The body would later be found dumped outside the accused gate with blood traces leading into his room where the killer weapon and bloodied clothes were recovered.

In her ruling, the judge noted that prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was behind the murder.

She said that the accused was last seen with the victim where he confessed that they had an argument but could not explain where she went afterwards.

Nzioka noted that as per the post-mortem report, the deceased was stabbed 12 times while alive adding that the actions of the accused pointed to hatred.

The judge noted that the accused could not account how his room and his body were covered in blood stains hours after the lifeless body was found.

“After the incident, the accused would hide the body in his room, share a meal with his family before dragging body and dumping it by the roadside,”

“From the evidence adduced in court and the actions of the suspect, this is pure murder that was caused by malice and the accused is guilty as charged,” she said.

Through lawyer Benjamin Bogonko, the accused told the court that he was supposed to present his project proposal to the University on the 4th of February.

The judge directed the prosecution to present a report in seven days on whether this could be carried out virtually while also calling for his assessment report before sentencing him.

The case will come up for sentencing on the 23rd of February.