Pauline Wangari murder suspect charged with suicide attempt

A key suspect in the murder of Murang'a prison warden Pauline Wangari has been charged with attempted suicide.

Joseph Ochieng’ denied the charge yesterday when he appeared before Resident Magistrate Violet Ochanda. He was remanded until May 28.

The court ordered the suspect to undergo a psychiatric examination at Murang’a District Hospital.

“The suspect should be taken for mental assessment and report be submitted in court on the mention date,” ruled Ochanda.

Ochieng, a key suspect in murder of the warden, was charged that on May 17, in his family home in Nairobi's Makadara, he attempted to kill himself with a kitchen knife.

The incident allegedly occurred on the fifth floor of Light House Plaza, where the suspect was escorted by the police to search his room for goods suspected to have been stolen from Wangari’s rental room in Kiharu estate in Murang’a.

Prosecution has lined up six witnesses. His co-accused are Rodger Namukolo and Mary Amollo.

The trio was arrested last Thursday in Kericho, with Ochieng allegedly attempting to kill himself when the police escorted him to his parent's house for search of items.

Several items among them a laptop, a mobile phone and clothes belonging to Wangari were recovered.

Wangari and Ochieng became friends through social media platforms before they met in Murang’a last Monday at 9pm.

Wangari failed to report on duty for two days before her colleagues found her naked body in her room last Wednesday.