This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
On July 15, 2019, Esther Arunga, a former KTN News Anchor, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder after the fact to manslaughter in a bid to protect her husband, Quincy Timberlake, from punishment for the death of their three-year-old son, Sinclair Timberlake, in 2014.
Arunga admitted to lying to police in a bid to help her husband avoid punishment. She initially told investigators that her husband was convinced that their son had a devil in his stomach and he was trying to get it out.
However, an autopsy later revealed that the cause of death was 'as a result of severe blunt force such as punching or stamping or similar', which was not consistent with a fall. Arunga later confessed to the police that she found her husband hitting their son in the stomach and throwing him against a wall on the fateful night.
Arunga kept up the lie for 26 days, only opening up when her husband was taken for a mental evaluation. She confessed to the police that she was terrified of being alone and felt terrible because her husband was sick as well.
Prosecutor Danny Boyle said that although Arunga had not interfered with evidence, she had played a part in delaying the investigations and the arrest of the suspect.
Arunga's defence lawyer, Katarina Prskalo, said that her client had believed her husband was unwell and had tried to get him help in 2013. She added that Arunga also had her own mental issues.
Justice Martin Burns will sentence Arunga on Thursday.
