Starlet Wahu murder case: CCTV expert tells court she cannot positively identify the accused
By Zipporah Ngwatu, October 2, 2025A CCTV expert, Elizabeth Njuguna, has tendered a video and still photos captured from the CCTV footage at the Papino Apartment on the night socialite Starlet Wahu was murdered on January 3, 2024.
Appearing before Justice Alexander Muteti on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Elizabeth took the court through the videos captured from the time the accused, John Matara, and the deceased accessed the building.
In the captured footage, at 8:11 pm, a man who was seen wearing a bluish long-sleeved shirt, a black cap, brown khaki trousers and a red bag waited for the lift accompanied by a light-skinned lady.
Later, at 10:11 pm, the video footage played in court showed the same man checking out of the building, but this time alone and with a white cloth suspected to be a towel wrapped around his neck.
Also watch: Joseph Ndung’u, the caretaker of Solace Park Apartments, where Starlet Wahu tragically lost her life on January 3, 2024, testifying in court.
Further, the expert pointed out to the court what she described as visible stains believed to be blood stains seen on the trousers the man was wearing as he walked out.
“Next, on his knee on his right-hand leg, appears to be a stain that stands out in the photo. As he made a step on his left foot, we could see a stain,” expert Elizabeth told the court.
“On my last video clip, named ‘main gate’, the same person is captured walking past two gentlemen on their motorbikes. My lord, still on his right foot, he could also be seen with a stain around his knee.”
However, Elizabeth told the court that she cannot properly identify the person in the footage if presented before her.
Watch how the person of interest in Starlet Wahu’s killing lured and tortured girls.
She told the court that the reason she cannot identify the person is that in the footage, his face was not visible at all since he kept looking down while walking.
During the cross-examination, Matara’s lawyer, Samuel Ayora, asked the expert if she could tell the court what type of stains she had identified, and she said she could not categorically state the type of stains.
The hearing proceeds on Thursday, October 2, 2025, with the scenes of crime officer, government chemist, and government pathologist expected to take the dock.