A secular artist charged with murdering socialite Starlet Wahu allegedly tore her clothes, plucked out her wig and killed her barely two hours after the pair checked into a rented Airbnb apartment in South B, Nairobi, a crime detective has told the High Court.
Detective Alex Chokore testified that the accused, John Matara, confessed during interrogation that he stabbed the deceased.
Mr Chokore told the trial judge that when he arrived at the scene, he found Starlet lying in a pool of blood near the door of the two-room apartment. Her clothes had been torn off and thrown onto the floor.
Starlet Wahu Mwangi whose body was found at an apartment in South B, Nairobi. Inset: Her relative Pastor Victor Kanyari.
Photo credit: Pool
He said the room was littered with personal effects, including innerwear, a bra, wig, shoes, a black handbag and the murder weapon, all placed next to her lifeless body.
“The room was littered with personal effects spread on the floor, meaning there was a struggle before Starlet was overcome. She was lying in a pool of blood,” Mr Chokore told the court.
The officer produced several exhibits, including a black cap, a pair of trousers, a shirt, the murder weapon- knife, a blood-soaked white towel, unused condoms and other items recovered from the scene.
Mr Chokore further testified that CCTV footage showed Matara walking out of Papino Apartments through the back corridor shortly after the incident.
Police later arrested him at Mbagathi Hospital where he had gone to seek treatment. The officer said Matara had sustained injuries during the encounter inside the apartment.
Defence lawyers Samuel Ayora and James Mochere questioned the officer on a government analyst’s DNA report which showed blood samples that did not match either Matara or the deceased, suggesting a possible third party002E
“From the government analyst report, there is a DNA sample that did not match that of the deceased or Matara, implying there was a third person in the residence,” Mr Ayora put to the witness.
However, Mr Chokore dismissed the claim, insisting no other person was involved. “There was no third person in the room. Matara and Wahu entered the apartment at 8.11 pm and he left at 10 pm,” the officer responded.
Mr Mochere also suggested the two were intoxicated, noting that police recovered an empty bottle of hard liquor from the scene.
During investigations, Mr Chokore said he interviewed the apartment owner, who confirmed the unit had been booked under the name John Matara. She told the officer she was forced to bring a spare key because the door had been locked from inside with a padlock.
The owner also said Matara had been referred to her by another businesswoman after she reported there was no vacancy at her apartments.
Mr Chokore said he also interviewed watchmen from neighbouring buildings since the Papino caretaker was not present at the time.
John Matara, the prime suspect in the murder of Starlet Wahu.
Photo credit: Pool
The court heard that investigators later proceeded to Matara’s residence, house number Y32, where they noticed blood stains outside the door. A watchman informed police that the occupant had escaped through the back gate.
Upon entering the house, officers found Starlet’s body lying on the floor, heavily mutilated with multiple stab wounds.
Mr Chokore established that Matara had first gone to South B Nursing Home before being referred to Mbagathi Hospital.
The detective said he retrieved CCTV footage from the apartment and forwarded it to DCI headquarters for analysis. Photographs were later processed at the imaging section and printed as exhibits.
The hearing continues on April 21, 2026.
