A witness in the Monica Kimani murder case testified that he received a strange “love” message from her on the night she was killed.
Antony Kariuki told the court that he was shocked since their friendship had not progressed to that level.
“I found the message weird since my relationship with her had not moved to that level but I responded that I would go the following day,” he said.
He recalled meeting the deceased September 19, 2018, in the evening at around 9.20pm at her Lamuria Gardens home.
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Kariuki said that he first met Monica on August 25, 2018 at a dowry ceremony in Nyeri. He met her through a friend only identified as Willis.
“It was my first time to see Monica and it was Willis who introduced me to her. They were working together in South Sudan,” he told Justice Grace Nzioka.
After the ceremony, he and Monica, in the company of others, left for drinks in Juja along Thika Road. It was at this point that they exchanged contracts.
Weeks later, he testified, they met at her Lamuria Gardens apartment to discuss business opportunities in South Sudan.
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“I used my car. I proceeded with my entry at around 2pm. I entered the compound. She came down and we went to the 3rd floor of the house. [She] gave me a glass of juice. We talked about business issues. I then left. I took 45 minutes with her,” said Kariuki.
He met her for the third time on the night she is said to have died but did not go up to her house. She apparently had two other guests.
“This was the second time and I was not asked for identification cards as I had given out the first time and I told them I was not taking long. Monica came down to where I had parked, hugged me and told me she was in a hurry with two visitors in her house, a Lebanese and a security guard from State House,” he continued.
At around 11 pm he received the strange message that read, “Come and help me sleep.” He responded, “I will come tomorrow.”
Read Also: Witness Statement Places Jowie At Monica Kimani’s House On Night Of Murder
The next day calls to her Kenyan and South Sudanese numbers were not going through, he said.
He would later learn through Willis that Monica had passed away.
“I enquired what happened and I was informed that she was murdered. I never attended the burial as I had other engagements in Sotik,” Kariuki said.
The defence lawyer, Hassan Nandwa, sought to find out if Kariuki was Monica’s boyfriend.
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The witness insisted that they were just friends.
So far 15 witnesses have testified and only 10 are remaining.
Jowie Irungu and his former girlfriend Jacque Maribe are the suspects in Monica’s murder.
The duo are out on bond after denying the charges.
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