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Man kills self, wife and son in suspected domestic row

They are suspected to have died by suicide and murder in Kibaratani village in Ndia, Kirinyaga.

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by WANGECHI WANG'ONDU

Counties03 November 2022 - 16:07
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In Summary


  • Baricho police station officers visited the scene where a knife and an axe suspected to have been used were recovered
  • Their bodies were taken to Karatina hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy.
Crime scene.

Police in Kirinyaga are investigating the death of three family members whose bodies were discovered on Thursday afternoon.

The three are a man, his wife and their last-born son.

They are suspected to have died by suicide and murder in Kibaratani village in Ndia, Kirinyaga.

A police report seen by the Star, James Kigoto Mbutu, 43, is said to have stabbed to death his wife Phylis Wanjira Muriuki, 40, and son Jackson Kinyua Kigoto, 13, before dying by suicide. 

Doemstic-related issues caused Mbutu's death.

According to a report by Kigoto’s father Cyrus Mbutu, neighbours informed him of his late son’s body that was dangling from a tree.

He proceeded to his son's house to inform his wife but she was already dead.

Wanjira had deep cuts below the left year.

Mbutu then proceeded to the kitchen where he saw his grandson’s body with deep injuries on the neck.

The preliminary report by the police indicated a suspected murder case that was executed by the family head before he died by suicide.

Baricho police station officers visited the scene where a knife and an axe suspected to have been used were recovered

Their bodies were taken to Karatina hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy. 

Mbutu said the two have had intermittent marital-related problems since last year and there have been efforts to reconcile them.

Among the issues, they struggled with was infidelity.

“They solemnised their marriage vows in church in 2013 and have been living peacefully until last year when their marriage was rocked by reconcilable differences,” he said.

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