A man who fatally stabbed his Kenyan girlfriend, Jane Kariuki, last year while both were riding in a car on Interstate 5 in Seattle was sentenced this morning to 29 years in prison. Christel David Murphy, 43, pleaded guilty in September to first-degree murder in the October 2008 slaying of his longtime girlfriend, Jane Kariuki, 42.

The two were riding in a car driven by another man on Oct. 16, 2008. Ms Kariuki was seated in the front passenger seat and Murphy was in the back seat. Ms Kariuki died after Murphy reached forward, put her in a neck hold and stabbed her 31 times, cutting her neck, face and chest, according to (Seattle) court documents.

The driver of the car pulled over and called 911 while Murphy got out of the vehicle, threw the knife on the ground, lit a cigarette and calmly sat down on the guardrail to wait for police, according to court documents.

Murphy and Ms Kariuki had a troubled relationship. Murphy pled guilty to fourth-degree assault against Ms Kariuki in July 2007. He was also charged with third degree-assault and harassment for a March 2006 incident after he hit Ms Karuiki in the head, threatened to kill her with a knife and cut her hand with a glass shard. Murphy was sentenced to 60 days in jail three years ago that third-degree domestic-violence  against Ms Kariuki when he cut her with broken glass and threatened to kill her with knives.

Seattle police said Ms Kariuki had told Murphy earlier to move out of the Kent residence they shared. Murphy has a criminal history that includes a conviction for manslaughter in North Carolina and several convictions for assault and domestic-violence assault in Washington, according to court records.

At least two no-contact orders had been issued in an attempt to protect Ms Kariuki from Murphy; but in 2007 Kariuki successfully petitioned the court to lift the order of protection issued earlier.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 - Bishop Margaret Wanjiru of Jesus Is Alive Ministries now claims her life is in danger and is seeking police protection.

The Housing Assistant Minister presented herself to the Gigiri police station on Monday night where she recorded a statement over strange movements of a government vehicle she claimed went to her City residence earlier in the day.

The outspoken Bishop told police that occupants of the vehicle had sought to know where she stayed but did not state their mission, raising suspicion.

“I came to record a statement so that if anything happens to me, it will be known that I had recorded a statement,” she told reporters soon after recording the statement.

Gigiri Divisional Police chief David Kerina told Capital News that detectives “are handling the matter very seriously.”

Earlier, she had told Capital News on telephone that: “Since yesterday (Sunday) when I talked about Maina Njenga in church, there have been different developments and that is why I am going to the police station. I want to make it public.”

Bishop Wanjiru has been vocal since she announced publicly that she will be baptising Mungiki leader Maina Njenga who has been attending church service at her Jesus Is Alive Ministries since he was released from jail.

For the past three weeks, Mr Njenga and hundreds of his Mungiki members have been trooping to the church on Haile Selasie Avenue until last Sunday when Mr Njenga failed to show up.

The hundreds of his supporters were also missing from the church service, prompting Bishop Wanjiru to announce that she had “advised Mr Njenga to stay away and not to come to town for the sake of his own security.”

She also accused the top police management of deploying dozens of their officers to the vicinity of her church, thus scaring away the Mungiki members who have been attending her services alongside their leader Mr Njenga.

Mr Njenga had expressed fears for his security but has not yet reported the matter to the police.

Mungiki Spokesman Njuguna Gitau who had equally expressed fears for his life was shot dead by unknown assailants on the congested Luthuli Avenue in Nairobi, in what human rights activists have termed as an ‘execution’.

Witnesses told Capital News the late Gitau was shot by four men he had been seen arguing with before he started shouting and pleading to them to spare his life.

No suspect has been arrested over the killing and Commissioner of Police Mr Mathew Iteere has absolved his officers from any involvement as alleged by activists.

Mr Iteere has pledged thorough investigations will be carried out “and action taken on any one found to be involved. The matter is under investigations.”

He warned against speculation that the police were involved and urged for patience and calm to enable investigators do their job.

The late Mr Gitau was a vocal Spokesman who never feared to speak publicly about the organisation which he often defended against accusations of involvement in crime and murder.

He was easily accessible to print and electronic journalists who sought interviews from time to time whenever there were issues involving Mungiki, including last month’s beheading of two young men in Karatina who were accused of being Mungiki sect members.

Six days before he was gunned down, he had spoken to Capital News in an interview where he announced the disbanding of Mungiki organization and the disappearance of some six of their members who had gone missing after being arrested by the police.