A watchman saw a secular music artist fleeing a rented Airbnb apartment shortly after he allegedly murdered socialite Starlet Wahu, a court heard on Tuesday.
Testifying before the Milimani High Court, Ms Florence Ngina who had rented out the two-room apartment to the accused John Matara, on January 3, 2024, described the horrifying scene she encountered.
“I peeped through the door and the deceased lay in a pool of blood and the room appeared disturbed,” Ms Ngina told the trial judge.
The second-last prosecution witness said she received a call from the watchman, who urged her to rush to the apartment and open it after noticing blood oozing from inside.
Shaken by the news, she went to the apartment accompanied by two women, one of whom, Jane, had referred the accused to her.
She said the watchman, identified as Mr Gitau, reported seeing the accused exit the apartment through a rear corridor.
John Matara charged with murdering sociolite Starlet Wahu at the Milimani High Court on April 21, 2026.
Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation
Appearing virtually, Ms Ngina told the court she had earlier informed police that the man she rented the apartment to had been wearing a black cap.
During cross-examination by defence lawyers Samuel Ayora and James Mochere, she maintained that the accused wore the cap to conceal his identity.
Shown a black cap in court, Ms Ngina said it resembled the one worn by the accused, but could not confirm with certainty whether it was the exact item.
According to her testimony, the accused locked the apartment door after the incident and left with the key, forcing her to use a spare key to grant police access.
“After the door was opened, I saw the deceased lying in the sitting room with stab wounds and blood everywhere,” she said.
Detective Alex Chokore, who arrested and interrogated the accused, told the court that the suspect had confessed to stabbing the deceased.
Starlet Wahu Mwangi whose body was found at an apartment in South B, Nairobi.
Photo credit: Photo I Pool
He said that he had recovered several items at the scene, including underwear, a bra, a wig, shoes, a black handbag, and the suspected murder weapon, which had been placed next to the body.
“The room was littered with personal effects strewn across the floor, indicating that a struggle had taken place before the victim was overpowered. She was lying in a pool of blood,” the officer testified.
In court, the detective presented a black cap, a pair of trousers, a shirt, a knife believed to be the murder weapon, a blood-soaked white towel, and unused condoms.
He also informed the court that CCTV footage showed the accused leaving the apartment via a back corridor.
The hearing will resume on April 27, 2026.
