The Kicukiro Primary Court on Tuesday, September 26 remanded Dennis Kazungu who is accused of murdering 14 people, 13 of whom are women for 30 days on charges that include murder, rape, robbery, forgery, and desecration of human corpses.
While delivering the bail ruling, the presiding judge said that there are substantial grounds to suspect that Kazungu committed the crimes he is accused of.
Furthermore, the judge emphasized that although the defendant pleaded guilty, he showed no remorse, and did not seek forgiveness, among other factors and that is why he was remanded for 30 days.
Amid tight security, Kazungu, dressed in an orange t-shirt and brown trousers, was present in court during the bail ruling.
Kazungu has a five-day window to appeal the court’s decision. In the meantime, he will be held in the Nyarugenge Correctional Facility, commonly known as Mageragere, pending trial.
Prosecution reveals shocking details
According to the prosecution, out of the 14 people he killed, Kazungu confessed to dismembering two of them, boiling their remains, and crushing their bones to eliminate evidence.
During a previous hearing on September 21, the prosecution stated that in April of last year, Kazungu rented a house in Kanombe sector and remained there until September 5 of this year. Local authorities and security personnel were compelled to intervene after the landlord reported his failure to pay rent and refusal to vacate the premises.
Furthermore, the prosecution disclosed that upon his arrest, Kazungu confessed to security authorities that he had killed and buried 12 people in that house.
An immediate investigation was initiated, leading to the discovery of the bodies. Some of the victims, including Eliane Mbabazi, Eric Turatsinze, Francoise, and Clementine, were identified by the defendant.
The prosecution highlighted that Kazungu confessed to raping his victims, strangling them to prevent them from raising an alarm, tying their hands and legs, and disposing of their bodies in a hole he had dug in the kitchen.
Additionally, it was revealed in court that he threatened his victims and subjected them to torture before robbing them of their belongings, including money from mobile money and bank accounts, as well as their phones and other possessions. To intimidate them, he used various objects, such as a machete, scissors, pens, rope, knives, and a hammer, often warning them that their family members would be harmed if they did not comply.
After killing them, the prosecution pointed out that he would take their bags and shoes and burn them to eliminate evidence.
The prosecution further said that Kazungu resided in an isolated location and assumed false identities, referring to himself as Eric Turatsinze or Joseph Dushimimana to conceal his true identity and carry out his crimes without detection.
Kazungu pleaded guilty to all charges and expressed his agreement with the prosecution’s statements. When asked about his motivation, he explained that he committed the crimes against women, whom he referred to as sex workers, because he believed they had infected him with HIV, something that was later discovered to false according to blood tests that were carried out by the Rwanda investigation Bureau (RIB).