Rwandan serial killer suspect arrested

Denis Kazungu lured his victims into his rented home, where he raped, robbed, and killed them, the Rwandan Investigation Bureau alleges.

Police in Rwanda arrested suspected serial killer Denis Kazungu on Tuesday for allegedly murdering more than ten people and burying their bodies in his kitchen, the Rwandan Investigation Bureau (RIB) has reported.

“He is detained at the Kicukiro RIB station while the investigation continues to determine” the exact “number and identities” of those he killed, the RIB said in a statement. If Kazungu, 34, is found guilty, he will face life in prison under Rwandan criminal laws.

Investigators reportedly discovered the crime after Kazungu was evicted from his rented house in the Kicukiro district, a suburb of the capital, Kigali.

The suspect had no nearby neighbors, and the closest residents lived at a distance of approximately 100 meters, according to local media outlets.

Investigators said the suspect lured his victims, the majority of whom appeared to be sex workers, to his home before robbing and murdering them. Detectives also reportedly unearthed the bodies of men.

“He operated by luring his victims, mostly prostitutes, to his home, where he stole their phones and other personal belongings before strangling them and burying them in a pit dug in his kitchen,” RIB spokesperson Thierry Murangira told Rwandan newspaper the New Times.

Some #Rwanda Headlines show violence in the country
– Sept 5, 2023: DENIS KAZUNGU KILLED AT LEAST 12 WOMEN AND BURIED THEM IN HIS KITCHEN. Kazungu would use his girl friend to call some women to come over his rental house. Women would come but never get out. Neighbors reported… pic.twitter.com/f1v1jszbvM

— Rev Christine Coleman (@sos_rwanda) September 7, 2023

Murangira also revealed that Kazungu had been arrested earlier in July on charges of theft, rape, robbery and use of threats, but was granted bail due to a lack of enough evidence.

“Investigations continued regarding his case until he was rearrested and his home was searched. The investigators found a pit he had dug in his kitchen, where he used to bury those he killed,” Murangira said on Wednesday.

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Irene Mukasine, one of Kazungu’s closest neighbors, told the New Times about how a “young” woman escaped being killed by the suspect about two months ago.

Mukasine said she was concerned when the woman ran into her house naked in the afternoon with visible bruises on her body, pleading with her to “hide her because she was going to be killed.”

“When I saw her, I thought I was looking at a demon. I was so scared. I ran out of the house to see what was chasing her. I saw Kazungu coming, he had followed her. When he saw us, he turned and walked towards the main road,” she reportedly said.

Mukasine claimed that the incident was reported to a local leader in the area, who dismissed it as a “mere argument” between Kazungu and a “sex worker.”