Police will hold the prime suspect in the murder of a family of four and a farmhand in Kiambu for 14 days so investigators can conclude their probe.
Lawrence Simon Warunge, 23, and his alleged girlfriend Sarah Muthoni Njuguna were presented in a Kiambu court on Monday morning but were not charged.
Detectives will use the fortnight to conduct DNA tests and perform autopsies on the bodies of Lawrence's father Nicholas Njoroge Warunge, mother Ann Wanjiku Njenga, brother Christian Njenga Njoroge, cousin Maxwell Njenga and James Kinyanjui Wambaa on January 5.
They will also collect further exhibits for analysis and comparison and to determine whether they tie the suspects to the murder.
Homicide detective Peter Kamau told Kiambu chief magistrate Patricia Gichohi that Lawrence and Muthoni were arrested in Lower Kabete and Thika last Friday on suspicion of the murders.
He said Lawrence had gone missing since last Tuesday when his parents, two brothers, and the worker were murdered at their home in Kiambaa constituency. He is a university student in the city and was initially thought to have gone to campus.
His mobile phone signal was traced to Mai Mahiu, Naivasha. It was later traced to Thika and later to Kabete area on Friday.
After his arrest, Lawrence confessed to the incident and led police to a residence in Mai Mahiu area on Saturday where they recovered a kitchen knife, clothes, shoes, and a piece of paper. He had thrown the materials into a pit latrine.
Police dug the wall of the latrine and used ropes to recover the exhibits from the 20-foot deep pit.
Lawrence also took police to an open field in the same area where he said he burnt some of the evidence.
The suspect also accompanied the detectives to Biafra estate in Thika where they arrested Muthoni.
Police investigators plan to also interview Lawrence's friends and relatives and record their statements.
Further, the suspects are to be subjected to a mental examination. They are deemed to be a flight risk.
Gichohi granted the application and ordered that the two suspects remain in custody. Lawrence will be detained at Gigiri police station while Muthoni will be held in Muthaiga. The suspects did not object to the terms.
On Sunday, Lawrence told police he went online to search how he can execute his mission the same way the main character in the BBC drama Killing Eve does.
He wanted to use her methods to hide the murders the same way the show's psychopathic assassin Villanelle does.
“He says he searched the whole script online and he intended to conceal his tracks by even killing the remaining sisters,” an investigator aware of the probe said.
Lawrence's father Warunge had arrived in Kenya from the USA where he worked as a nurse for Christmas holidays about 11 days before his murder. His two elder daughters survived the cold blood murder because they had gone to school the previous day.
Lawrence told police he first killed the mason in his house, which is few metres away from the main house, by slitting his throat.
He then made his way into the house through the rear door, where he found his mother Annie and hacked her to death before slitting her throat.
Lawrence told police that his parents were “satanic and killers” hence deserved to die.
The suspects will be presented in court again at the end of the 14 days.
