A Rwandan man has admitted to numerous charges, including the killing of 12 women and two men, in a prominent case that deeply shocked the nation.
Denis Kazungu, aged 34, is accused of burying his victims in his own kitchen.
The police uncovered the crimes earlier this month when he was forcibly removed from his rented residence in Kicukiro, a suburb of the capital, Kigali.
In a crowded courtroom, following the admission of guilt, a woman cried out, claiming that her child was among the victims.
This hearing was convened to decide whether Kazungu should continue to be held in custody. The judge is scheduled to deliver a decision on September 26th.
Kazungu, who was unrepresented by legal counsel, appeared composed during the hearing. When asked to enter his plea, he firmly stated that he was “guilty.”
He attempted to rationalise his crimes by claiming that his victims had intentionally infected him with AIDS, although he provided no evidence to support this allegation.
The state of Kazungu’s mental health remains uncertain, but he appeared mentally sound when he requested that the court conduct proceedings in private. However, the court denied this request.
“I have done extreme crimes and do not want to be reported in the media,” he said.
Kazungu was taken into custody when his landlord reported him to the police due to his failure to pay rent for seven consecutive months.
A police official informed Rwanda’s private newspaper, The New Times, that Kazungu resisted eviction and put up a fight when law enforcement officers arrived.
“He apologised and cried excessively, which raised our suspicions,” the official said.
“We detained him and I personally took him to the police. It is at the police station where he confessed to having killed some people, prompting Rib [Rwanda Investigation Bureau] to investigate his residence.”
A spokesperson for the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) stated that Kazungu lured his victims, primarily sex workers, to his residence under false pretenses, where he would proceed to rob them. Afterward, he would “strangle them to death and bury them in a hole he dug in the kitchen of his rented house.”
Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of all the individuals believed to be victims of Kazungu.