Police name Christchurch homicide victim

A police photographer enters the house in Burrows Place. Photo / Simon Baker

Police have named the man found dead next to an injured woman in Christchurch.

He was Stephen Mwangi Maina, 38, of Ashburton.

The injured woman, Lydiah Muthoni Munene, is still in an induced coma today, as police try to track down her estranged husband, Samuel Ngumo Njuguna, who has fled to Kenya.

Police are waiting to speak to the mother-of-two who was found badly injured by Mr Maina's side in a Burrows Place, Ilam, house on Monday.

This afternoon Detective Inspector Greg Williams said Mr Maina's body had been removed from the house and a post mortem examination has been carried out.

Mr Williams would say only that Mr Maina had suffered significant injuries and police are still looking for a weapon. Mr Williams said he would not say what kind of weapon police are looking for.

It is believed Mr Maina arrived in New Zealand in October last year and had been working at a freezing works in Ashburton.

Mr Maina has a brother in Australia and he and other close family members in Kenya had been contacted by police.

"Mrs Maina, Stephen's mother, told us that he was the third son she had lost so it is probably pretty hard for the family," Mr Williams said.

He said the police focus now was around what happened at the house on Friday evening and early Saturday morning.

It is believed Mr Njuguna had removed his children from the home sometime in the early hours of Saturday morning and took them both to his home.

Mr Williams said it was at about this time that Mr Maina and Mrs Munene had been attacked.

Police have interviewed the children, aged nine and 13, but Mr Williams would not disclose what they had been able to tell police.

Mr Williams said it was too early to comment on the nature of the relationship between Mr Maina and Mrs Munene, however he said the pair were both in bed when they were found.

Asked if Mr Maina and Mrs Munene had been in a romantic relationship and whether this may have triggered the attack, Mr Williams said: "We can't rule that out but as I said, I'm not going to comment any further on that at this point in time."

Asked if the pair were clothed when found, Mr Williams refused to comment.

Mr Njuguna is understood to have arrived in Kenya yesterday morning and police have alerted Interpol and Kenyan police to try to track him down.

Ms Munene is in Christchurch Hospital in stable condition with severe head injuries.

Police are also trying to track the movements of Mr Njuguna's red 1995 Peugot Saloon, registration TH438.

"The small Kenyan community in Christchurch has bonded together in support of each other and we are working closely with them as are support agencies," Mr Williams said.

Yesterday Interpol contacted the Kenyan High Commission in Canberra.

Ms Munene and her two children moved to the house in Burrows Pl four weeks ago after she separated from her husband.

Mr Njuguna and Ms Munene have lived in New Zealand for many years.

Police may have difficulty in bringing Mr Njuguna back to New Zealand because there is no extradition agreement with Kenya.

Mr Williams said it was unclear whether the relationship between the woman and the dead man had been beyond a friendship.

Ms Munene had recently started work as a nurse at Christchurch Hospital, The Press reported.

She recently graduated as a nurse from the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.

"She seems really, really nice and is making such a fantastic go of things," landlord Margaret Dawson said.
"I just feel so terribly shocked because she has made so much of an effort to make such a life for herself and her children. Her two boys are very tall, good-looking, charming, lively, intelligent and lovely."

Ms Munene had spoken "unfavourably" of Mr Njuguna, she said.

A friend from the Kenyan community, who declined to be named, said the community was shocked at the incident.

"We last met in December and had a laugh and were having fun happy kids, happy mother and happy father."