Lynn, MA: Lynn murder trial delayed until June

By Karen A. Kapsourakis / For the Item

SALEM - The trial of a Lynn man who lured his ex-girlfriend from Delaware and then allegedly stabbed her to death some 20 times in the presence of their two young children in 2007 has been delayed until June.

Patrick Waweru, also known as "Mwangi," 30, who last lived at 4 Kingsley Terrace in Lynn, was expected to go on trial this month in Salem Superior Court on a first-degree murder charge.

However, because a new prosecutor has replaced Jessica Connors, who has left the district attorney's office, the case has been delayed in order for the prosecutor to be able to review the file.

At the joint request of Assistant District Attorney Kate B. MacDougall and defense lawyer Russell C. Sobelman, Judge John T. Lu re-scheduled the trial for June 14.

Sobelman in the past has said the "fact will not be disputed, the trial should be a week long and that a criminal responsibility issue would be the defense which would involve medical and mental health experts from each side."

Waweru is charged with the Oct. 15, 2007 stabbing death of Esther W. Kinyanjui.

In June of 2007 Kinyanjui, a registered nurse, and their two young children along with Esther's 57-year-old mother, Ruth Nyamu, moved from Massachusetts to Delaware.

A few days before the incident, Waweru called Kinyanjui, luring her on false pretenses to come back to Massachusetts saying she must come up and attend a court hearing involving the apartment they once shared in Peabody.

She drove to Massachusetts with their children and her mother on the night of Oct. 13 and went to her sister's home at 130 Adams St., Lynn.

Waweru met up with Kinyanjui the day before the incident and again on Oct. 15 at his Kingsley Terrace apartment.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m., she convinced him to take her back to her sister's home, promising him she would get her all her possessions in Delaware and move back to Massachusetts with him.

When they arrived at her sister's, she went inside to the basement area where her mother and sister Margaret were and told them that Waweru had lied to her that there was no court hearing and that he had held her in his apartment as a hostage all day.

In the meantime, Waweru apparently became suspicious and forced his way into the home. He first lunged at Margaret, striking her on the head with a 2x4 piece of lumber and also struck Esther with it before dropping it.

Margaret retrieved the lumber, ran upstairs and out of the apartment with one of the children.

Waweru then allegedly pulled out a knife from his sock and began repeatedly stabbing Esther in the neck, chest, back and arms before leaving the scene.

When police arrived, they found Kinyanjui slumped against a washing machine in a pool of blood. She had sustained more than 20 stab wounds to her body, according to reports.

Police later arrested Waweru at his apartment. He appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, police said.

In addition to the first degree murder charge, which Waweru has pleaded innocent to, he also has pleaded innocent to two counts of home invasion and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of reckless child endangerment and a single count of armed assault with intent to murder in connection with the case.

Waweru remains held on no bail at the Middleton Jail pending the outcome of his case.

A conviction on the murder one charge carries a life sentence in state prison with no chance of parole.