By Karen A. Kapsourakis/ For the Item
LAWRENCE - The long-awaited trial of a Lynn man who lured his ex-girlfriend from Delaware and then allegedly stabbed her to death 20 times in front of their two young children in 2007 is scheduled to begin today in Lawrence Superior Court.
Patrick Waweru, also known as "Mwangi," 31, who last lived at 4 Kingsley Terrace is charged with murder in the first-degree in connection with the Oct. 15, 2007 stabbing death of Esther W. Kinyanjui, a registered nurse.
Jury selection is expected to begin on Tuesday for the expected five-day trial with Judge Richard E. Welch, III presiding. Jurors are expected to travel to Lynn to view the scene of the crime sometime within the week.
In June 2007, Kinyanjui and Waweru, their two children and Esther's mother, Ruth Nyamu, moved from Massachusetts to Delaware.
A few days before the murder, Waweru allegedly called Kinyanjui in Delaware, telling her that there was a court hearing she must attend regarding the apartment they once shared in Peabody, luring her here under a false pretense.
Kinyanjui drove to Massachusetts with their children and her mother on the night of Oct. 13, 2007 and went to her sister's home at 130 Adams St. in Lynn. Waweru met up with Kinyanjui the day before and the day of the alleged murder at his Kingsley Terrace apartment. Shortly after 9:30 p.m., Kinyanjui apparently convinced Waweru to take her back to her sister's home by promising him she would retrieve her possessions in Delaware and return to live with him in Massachusetts.
When they arrived at her sister's home, she went inside alone to the basement area where her mother and sister Margaret were and told them that Waweru had misled her, there was no court hearing and that he had held her hostage all day at his apartment.
She went on to tell her family that Waweru was outside in the car, but in the meantime he 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 while allegedly yelling "I have to kill Esther."
Then he struck Kinyanjui with the board and dropped it.
Margaret told investigators that she quickly retrieved the piece of wood, ran upstairs and out of the apartment with one of the children yelling for help.
Waweru then allegedly pulled out a knife from his sock and began repeatedly stabbing Kinyanjui in the neck, chest, back and arms before fleeing from the scene.
When police responded to the scene they found Kinyanjui slumped against a washing machine in a pool of blood. She had sustained more than 20 stab wounds to her body.
Police arrested Waweru at his apartment shortly after the incident. He appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, according to police reports.
The couple had been involved in a relationship for approximately six years. During that time, Waweru had reportedly abused and threatened Kinyanjui a number of times. He has had a history of mental illness.
Waweru has pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge as well as two counts of home invasion, 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.
Defense lawyer Russell C. Sobelman is not disputing the facts of the case. He will focus on an insanity defense putting forth a number of expert witnesses who will corroborate his theory of diminished capacity.
"He just snapped," said Sobelman regarding his defense following a final pretrial hearing last week in Salem Superior Court.
Assistant District Attorney Kate B. MacDougall will dispute his theory with her own experts. She maintains that Waweru was sane and that he planned and carried out the slaying with cruelty. She has listed 21 potential witnesses for the government's case and lists 11 proposed exhibits it will introduce.
A conviction on the charge of first-degree murder carries a life sentence behind bars, with no chance of ever being released.
If the jury finds that Waweru was insane at the time of the attack, he will spend one day to life in a mental institution until medical experts feel he is mentally stable and can be released.
Waweru was indicted by an Essex County grand jury in November 2007 and has been held without bail pending his trial at the Middleton Jail since his arraignment.
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