Africa-Press – Rwanda. Denis Kazungu, the man convicted last year for the shocking killing of 13 people, has returned to court appealing against the life sentence he was handed.
On June 12, the High Court in Kigali heard Kazungu’s appeal for lesser sentence due to his alleged cooperation with authorities and showing remorse throughout the investigation and trial.
Kazungu was arrested in September 2023 after a rental dispute at his home in Busanza, Kicukiro District. What began as a minor landlord-tenant issue turned into a horrifying crime case when police discovered several bodies buried in a pit behind his residence. Most of the victims were women. He later confessed to killing them, with investigators uncovering a trail of murder and torture.
During the hearing, Kazungu and his lawyer, Faustin Murangwa, requested that the court to reduce his sentence, citing his early confession, cooperation with the authorities, and emotional regret.
“I was not forced to speak. I gave the information willingly. When I was in prison and I remembered and reported one more missing person to the authority. What I did was cowardice, not manliness,” Kazungu told court. “I apologise to the Head of State, the government, parents, and children. If I could go back, I would not choose that path.”
His lawyer argued that Kazungu’s actions during the investigation demonstrate mitigating circumstances. “He’s a first-time offender. He admitted guilt and helped uncover the full extent of the crimes. He deserves a second chance to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society,” Murangwa told court.
The defence also claimed that Kazungu’s troubled past contributed to his actions. Orphaned at a young age, Kazungu once ran a baby class school (creche) for orphans in Remera, in 2009, an effort his lawyer presented as evidence of his good conduct potential. After that project collapsed in 2016, Kazungu reportedly turned to cross-border liquor sales. Kazungu’s financial troubles intensified in 2018 when he lost $120,000 worth of goods at the Uganda-Kenya border. According to his testimony, he turned to robbery and murder out of desperation.
However, the prosecution rejected the plea for leniency, insisting that Kazungu’s crimes were not only premeditated but also carried out with “unusual cruelty.” Prosecutors emphasized that he lured many of his victims, mostly women, from bars and social gatherings before murdering them and hiding their remains in a pit he dug behind his home.
“This was a deliberate pattern. He chose who to kill. He concealed bodies. He mocked the victims in the way he treated them after death,” one prosecutor said. “Even if he confessed, that cannot outweigh the gravity and scale of his crimes.”
The representative of the victim’s family also pointed out that Kazungu did not help authorities find all of his victims. One body, belonging to a man named Eric Turatsinze, was never recovered. Kazungu admitted to killing 13 people, but she argued that his confession was incomplete and lacked critical details that could help victims’ families.
In court, family members of the victims attended in large numbers. Civil parties objected to the appeal, calling it an insult to the memory of the people he killed.
“Kazungu is not just a murderer. He is a serial killer. To say that he should return to society is dangerous,” said a representative of one family. “The [1994] Genocide against the Tutsi aside, it is rare in Rwanda’s history to find one person who has killed 13 people alone.”
Despite this, the defence maintained that Kazungu’s cooperation and remorse should be recognized, just as courts have done in other complex criminal cases.
“There are many cases where people convicted of horrific crimes have had their sentences reduced due to mitigating factors. Why not here?” Murangwa asked.
The hearing will also examine technicalities, including whether Kazungu filed his appeal within the allowed timeframe. While the prosecution argued that the appeal was late, the defence maintained that it was submitted on April 4, 2024, well within the legal deadline following the March 8, 2024, verdict. The court will rule on this procedural point alongside the main appeal.
Kazungu, speaking in his defence, told court: “What I did is shameful. I want to return to society and contribute to the development of our country with remorse and change.”
A ruling on Kazungu’s appeal is expected to be delivered on July 11.
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