Starlet Wahu Murder: Stalking Instagram & Tactics By 11-Man Gang Led By Suspect John Matara

John Ongoa Matara, the prime suspect in the murder of 26-year-old Starlet Wahu Mwangi, is now under investigation over emerging details of his criminal past, including being part of a criminal syndicate that targeted women from dating and hookup websites.

A confession message posted by a Facebook user on Saturday, January 6, hours after news of Wahu's murder shook the country, revealed that their friend from Kisii County had texted the user narrating her near-fatal encounter with Matara.

She said that they met on a dating site two months ago with Matara funding her lavishly before they met. On that day, Matara reportedly booked an Airbnb as was the case with the late Wahu and conducted an HIV test together with her.

"John asked her to undress. Immediately after she undressed, John removed a knife and demanded Ksh50,000 from her, even though they carried out the HIV test. John told her he wouldn't touch her or lay her!

CCTV footage showing Starlet Wahu with a man at an Airbnb apartment in Nairobi's South B. /K24

"So this girl got lucky because at knifepoint she managed to raise 50k and gave the money to John," the message seen by Viral Tea read in part.

The woman also narrated that Matara got hold of her parents' phone number and before he left, he asked her to rub her private parts naked while he filmed her, threatening to leak it to the internet in the event she happened to report him.

In addition, the main suspect tied her tightly and left as he locked the door from the outside. The woman was rescued by an attendant who arrived to clean up the Airbnb.

More victims emerged to write statements of assaults and attempts on their lives by the 30-year-old Matara and another revealed that she fell victim to the suspect on December 29, 2023, in similar circumstances.

“I met this guy on a dating site…he seemed so nice and even took me to an Airbnb. In the middle of the night he started strangling me and even asked for my mobile money statements,” she told Citizen TV, adding; “He was trying to strangle me so much.”

The victim had identified Matara as the perpetrator after news of Starlet Wahu's murder spread, confirming that the individual matched the person she encountered.

Preliminary police findings suggested that Matara might be a serial killer targeting women through online dating platforms.

Moreover, the Facebook post claimed that Matara may have been part of an 11-person gang relying on high-end vehicles to lure their targets and spend heavily on them before they meet them in person.

The gang is also said to be monitoring social media platforms such as Instagram and targeting gorgeous women who live luxurious lives termed these days as the 'soft life'.

CCTV footage from Papino apartments captured Wahu and Matara entering an elevator within the apartment block on Wednesday, January 3 before disembarking on the fourth floor and proceeding to the room which they had reportedly rented at 4 am for a night.

Police found the lifeless body of Wahu near the door, soaked in blood and had multiple bruises and stab wounds all around the thighs after security at the Airbnb in South B reported the matter to the authorities.

Matara had reportedly fled the scene in a rush on Thursday morning wearing blood-stained clothes but was tracked down by detectives to Mbagathi Hospital where he was found undergoing treatment for a stab wound on his stomach.

The suspect had claimed to police that Wahu had attacked him, resulting in a fight that turned fatal. However, police believed that he may have inflicted the wound on himself to mislead investigators currently working on the case.

Matara was produced in court on Friday where police successfully applied for custodial orders to hold him for 21 days.

According to postmortem results, Wahu died as a result of haemorrhage, which is the loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel. Police reports further indicate that there were signs of a struggle between Wahu and her killer, as the scene appeared bloody, disarrayed and chaotic.

Police further discovered HIV testing kits, used condoms, bhang, a bottle of alcohol and a blood-stained kitchen knife, believed to be the murder weapon, at the scene.

Wahu was laid to rest on Saturday, January 6, at her parents’ home in Kamulu, Nairobi City County.