NAIROBI, Kenya — Doomsday cult leader Paul McKenzie and 30 of his followers appeared in a Kenyan court in the coastal town of Malindi on Wednesday on charges of murdering 191 children.
McKenzie and the other suspects did not enter a plea after High Court Judge Mugule Tunde granted the prosecution's request to undergo psychiatric evaluation and return to court on February 6.
According to the prosecutor's indictment, the bodies of 180 of the 191 children who died have not been identified.
McKenzie and some of his supporters are being held responsible. 429 members died Many of his Good News International Church members are believed to have starved in the belief that they would then meet Jesus Christ before the world ended.
The bodies were discovered in dozens of shallow graves on an 800-acre (320-hectare) ranch in a remote area known as Shakahora Forest in the coastal county of Kilifi. The grave was discovered after police rescued 15 emaciated church members, who told investigators that Mackenzie had instructed them to fast before the world ended. Four of the 15 people died after being taken to the hospital.
An autopsy on some of the bodies found in the grave revealed that she died of starvation, strangulation, or suffocation.
Kenya's top prosecutor announced Monday that 95 people will be charged with crimes including murder, brutality and child torture.
In the months since the defendants' arrest in April last year, prosecutors have asked a court in Kilifi for permission to keep them in custody while investigations continue. But last week, Chief Justice Yusuf Sikanda Your latest request was rejected Prosecutors ordered the suspect to be held for an additional 60 days, giving them enough time to complete their investigation.
McKenzie is serving an additional one-year prison sentence after being found guilty of operating a film studio without a valid license and producing films for the purpose of preaching.
Mackenzie is said to have encouraged church members to move to Shakahora Forest to prepare for the end of the world.
The Senate committee report said McKenzie chose the area because of its remoteness.
“Once in a village established by Mackenzie, believers were not allowed to leave the area or interact within the village,” the report states.
“Congregants were asked to destroy important documents such as national identity cards, birth certificates, property rights certificates, educational certificates, and marriage certificates,” creating problems in identifying the dead, the report said. Ta.
