Denis Kazungu
The intermediate court of Nyarugenge has on Friday found serial killer Denis Kazungu guilty all 10 counts of murder and sentenced him to life in prison.
Kazungu, 34, a resident of Kicukiro District in Kigali, was apprehended by Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) in September 2023. He was suspected of murdering several people and burying them in a pit dug in his kitchen
He faces 10 counts including: voluntary murder and manslaughter, kidnapping, torture, rape, intimidation, fraud, burglary, cybercrimes -unauthorized access to computer data and concealment of evidence/corpses, among others.
In the case hearing that took place on February 9, 2024, the Prosecution asked the court to have Kazungu charged with all these crimes, and sentenced him to life imprisonment, with a fine of Rwf10 million.
During the trials, Kazungu pleaded guilty to all these crimes, saying “I have nothing to do with what the Prosecution asked me”, and asked the court to lighten his sentence, based on the fact that he had provided information that was needed during the investigation.
Kazungu explained that he committed these crimes alone, and testified that he did them brutally and that he could not find any explanation as to what he was aiming for because he was not poor enough to be said to be looking survival.
When Kazungu was arrested in 2023, investigators discovered a pit in the kitchen of his home- in Busanza cell, Kanombe Sector in Gasabo district, containing the bodies of those he was suspected to have killed.
The Kazungu trial, which made news last year attracting national attention, also involves people who are seeking compensation for the loss of their loved ones and property.
Some of them were present at the court’s premises to follow the trial before being informed of the court sentencing decision.
