Mr John Matara, 34 the main suspect in the murder of socialite Scarlet Wahu Mwangi on Saturday, had on December 29, 2023, locked up another lady in a room, assaulted her as he forced her to raise Sh50,000 before he could release her, the Nation can now reveal.
In an exclusive interview with the Nation , a woman who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter but has reported the matter at Industrial Area Police Station where Mr Matara is being held narrated how she suffered in his hands.
The two met on a popular dating site and after days of holding lovey-dovey conversations, they settled for Friday, December 29, 2023, as the day they would book an Airbnb and enjoy a steamy night but the lady demanded for Sh15,000 as pay.
“We met and he had already booked a room where one could only gain entry using a card. I like the place saying that it was secure and nothing ill could happen bearing in mind that he was a stranger to me,” the woman said.
Just as in the case of Ms Wahu, Mr Matara demanded that they undertake a HIV/AIDS test and after that they went on enjoying the night together.
However, the woman said that in the middle of the night, a smiling Matara changed abruptly and demanded that she jump out of bed. He then asked her to strip naked.
She said that he then tied her legs and hands using a rope and started assaulting her as he demanded that she raise Sh50,000 and hand it over to him or else he would end her life.
“He started beating me as he demanded that I make calls to friends and relatives with the aim of raising the money. He even demanded to take a look at my Mpesa transactions and took the mobile numbers of anyone who had sent me a large amount of money,” the woman painfully narrated.
According to the woman, he reached out for an iron box that was inside the room and went ahead to burn her on the back.
She said that he even stabbed her private parts as he demanded for money and passwords as he perused through the phone.
The woman further claimed that the suspect then went ahead and poured cold water on the floor and asked her to lie on it as she went on raising the money.
“He has long fingernails and he even used it to pinch me on the neck and to date it is very difficult for me to swallow food,” the woman said.
Starlet Wahu Mwangi whose body was found at an apartment in South B, Nairobi. Inset: Her relative Pastor Victor Kanyari.
Photo credit: Pool
After ensuring that he had raised enough money from the victim, Mr Matara then set her free.
However, on the same night he wrote a message to the owner of the house (an Airbnb) informing them that they differed with the lady and he opted to lock her inside the house.
In the message which is in our possession, Mr Matara narrated that they had a cold night which led to a disagreement and he opted to lock her in the house and leave her behind.
“Things happened, I left the house in panic. I locked my girlfriend inside. She is not in good condition and it is quite disturbing. The key is with the watchman that is seated outside the gate, he seems to be elderly and a maasai. I could not see the caretaker. I have left and I am far now,” part of the message read.
“It was a heated disagreement and I did some bad things. She is in the bedroom. The earlier you get there the better. The later you get there the worse. You will not hear from me for some hours. I need to recuperate. I am so sorry about it, please say no word for now. You have no idea how much we have fought all night but no property has been destroyed. Thank you for everything,” the message further added.
When the owner of the house attempted to ask him why he decided to leave her behind, Mr Matara never responded. He was arrested moments later by DCI sleuths who trailed him to the hospital.
The Nation has also established that Mr Matara also lured another lady to a similar trap at a lodging located on the busy Thika Road.
The woman who is currently confused on whether to join the case or just leave it said that he also assaulted her as he demanded money.
Detectives attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) continue profiling the suspect even as the police made calls for anyone who has ever suffered in the hands of Mr Matara to report the matter to them.
Police will go on holding the suspect at the Industrial Area Police Station for the next 18 days as investigations into his activities go on.
The Nation has established that part of the investigations includes; Mr Matara directing officers to where he resided.
On the fateful day when Ms Wahu was murdered, it emerged that the suspect travelled all the way from Ruiru to house number Y32 at the Papino Apartments in South B Estate.
Ms Wahu also left her home in Lang’ata Estate using a taxi which dropped her at their meeting point.
CCTV footage seen by these reporters captured the suspect leaving the premises at 10:30pm after he committed the heinous act before proceeding to Mbagathi Hospital which is located seven kilometers from the scene of crime to seek medical attention.
