A man and his daughter arrested for allegedly murdering Nanyuki businessman, George Gachibi were Thursday ordered to undergo a mental assessment.
Nyeri High Court Justice Teresia Matheka ordered that Charles Macharia and his daughter Jane Wanjiku, 23, undergo the mental assessment at Nyeri Level Five Hospital.
Gachibi was murdered last month.
They will be availed in court for plea taking on murder charges on January 9, 2019, after undergoing the psychiatric assessment.
The two will also get medical attention following the judge’s order after their lawyers claimed they were assaulted while in police custody.
The judge directed the King’ong’o GK prison boss where they will be remanded, to ensure they get medical attention.
The two told the court that they were not taken to hospital after the attack two weeks ago with their lawyers telling the court that the injuries they sustained were visible then.
The suspects were taken to the High Court in Nyeri as the Nanyuki judge, Hatari Waweru, is on Christmas vacation.
Justice Matheka, however, rejected their application to have the case transferred from Nanyuki to Nyeri or Meru for trial.
They said they feared for their personal safety adding that they felt threatened to be prosecuted in Nanyuki, where the murder happened.
Matheka advised them to make the application before the trial court in Nanyuki after the area judge resumes duty.
The two suspects were arrested on December 5, 2018 by detectives at a petrol station in Kirwara, Gatanga constituency in Murang'a county.
They were found with the deceased’s Subaru Legacy vehicle and electronics stolen from him. Gachibi was the proprietor of Checkers Bar and Restaurant in Nanyuki town.
Wanjiku worked as a waitress at a hotel in Nanyuki.
She was said to have been in a love affair with the businessman.
Gachibi’s body was discovered on December 4, 2018 in his bedroom.
It was lying in a pool of blood and was seen by his employees who had gone to check on him at his house after he failed to answer to their calls.
He had also not reported at his business.
The main door to his house had been broken into by assailants who left it open after committing the crime.
Laikipia county Criminal Investigations Officer Peter Muinde said the deceased had several stab wounds on his body especially on the neck and the upper part of the body.
The detective added that the lady suspect was the deceased’s girlfriend as they were often together and she used to frequent his house.