This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
On May 13, 2019, Joseph Ochieng', a 24-year-old suspect, met 24-year-old Pauline Wangari, a Murang'a prison warder, for the first time at her rented house in Kiharu, Murang'a County.
According to Ochieng', the two had initially been communicating through Facebook and had planned to meet in person. He claimed to be an artist and was born and bred in Kisumu.
On the fateful night, Ochieng' traveled from Nairobi to meet Wangari and the two spent the evening indoors, allegedly smoking bhang and engaging in sexual activities.
However, an argument ensued after Wangari refused to take hard drugs that Ochieng' had brought with him. It was during this heated argument that Ochieng' started strangling Wangari, and she fell down with a thud.
According to Ochieng', he then reached for a kitchen knife and stabbed Wangari in the chest, neck, and abdomen. He then placed the knife in her hand to make it look like she had killed herself.
Security cameras captured Ochieng' entering Wangari's house at 9pm on Monday and leaving at 3am on Tuesday. He was arrested on May 16, 2019, at a roadblock in Kericho County.
Wangari's body was found naked on her bed, with her entire bedding soaked in blood. She had been stabbed multiple times in the head, abdomen, and neck, and a roll of bhang was placed between her lips.
