Four Women Raped, Strangled Then Burned Alive By 23-Year-Old Serial Killer

In less than three weeks, a 23-year-old serial killer took away the lives of four women and a 3-month-old baby. The killer strangulated his victims before he burned their bodies.

The shocking series of murders happened in the city of Kampala in Uganda.

The suspected serial killer, Musa Musaasizi, was arrested Wednesday, March 24, Ugandan police confirmed.

"We arrested him and we have handed him over to Old Kampala Police Station for further processing and visiting the crime scenes," Director of crime intelligence, Brig Christopher Ddamulira said Thursday

According to the Ugandan police, Musaasuzi allegedly had sexual relationships with all four women. After the act, he strangled his victims then burned their bodies before dumping and burning them in isolated areas.

The suspect has confessed to all five murders, the police officials said.

Security agencies have identified two of the four women victims. Mackline Ahereza and Elizabeth Mutesi, were 21-years-old when they died.

Ahereza was Musaasuzi’s first victim. She was killed on Feb. 23.

During the interrogation, the suspect described each of the murders, officials said.

He described his first victim, Aheereza, as his girlfriend. He told police that he strangled her while the two were at his home in Nakulabye. He then packed her body in a suitcase and hired a motorcycle taxi rider who took him to Stone View at Nateete, which is around 6 miles away from the crime scene.

On his way, the suspect stopped at a gas station to purchase paraffin, police said.

Once the duo reached Stone View, the suspect alighted the motorcycle with his suitcase and told the rider to wait for him near the main road. He then walked for a short distance to confirm isolation. The suspect opened the suitcase and burned the body using paraffin, officials said. He fled back home on the same motorcycle.

When asked about the motive, the suspect said he killed the woman because he suspected her of having an affair with another man.

The suspect told detectives that he killed his second victim, whom he identified as Kansiime, in his house when she started talking to other men on the phone.

He said he was in love with Kansiime. She was pregnant with another man’s child, who the suspect claimed had abandoned her. The woman gave birth later.

Musaasizi said he was frustrated that Kansiime would talk to other men even though he was the one taking care of her. On March 13, while Kansiime and her three-month-old baby were at his home, Musaasizi strangled them to death.

He told detectives that he first put the infant’s body in a bag and dumped it near the national housing building in Makerere-Kivulu. He then returned home with a can of paraffin and waited until curfew time to dump Kansiime’s body.

The suspect with the help of others dumped Kansiime’s body near Kasubi Tombs and burned it using paraffine.

Three days later, he killed the third woman only identified as Noreen. He strangled her and then burned her body near Kasubi Tombs.

The suspect hasn’t confessed a clear motive behind the third murder. Musaasizi told detectives that he killed Noreen because an evil spirit attacked him and ordered him to kill her.

On March 16, Musaasizi’s fifth victim, Elizabeth Mutesi, visited the suspect at his home.

The suspect told the investigators that the woman wanted to borrow some money to plait her hair. He gave her the money and then the two had sex, the suspect claimed. A short while later, when the woman said she wanted to go home, Musaasizi said he strangled her to death. He then burned the body at an unknown location far away from his home, officials said.

The suspect had destroyed all the cellphones that belonged to the victims so that the police wouldn’t trace him.

He was arrested after investigators, using CCTV footages, began following each victim and their whereabouts moments before their death. Following the investigations, the officials narrowed down their suspicion on Musaasizi.

Criminal investigations directorate spokesperson Charles Twiine said this is an ongoing investigation. Detectives are still searching the crime scenes to obtain new pieces of evidence that might help the case.