Key suspect weeps in court as video in which he confessed to kidnaping, killing Nagirinya is played

Copriyan Kasolo, alias Arsenal, the mastermind of the kidnap and subsequent murder of Maria Nagirinya and her driver Ronald Kitayimbwa has shed tears as the state played before court a video recording in which he confessed and detailed how he together with accomplices carried out the move.

Testifying as the 12^th prosecution witness, detective corporal Alex Osekeny, 37 told court he recorded proceedings as three suspects including Kasolo, Johnson Lubega alias Rasta and Isaac Ssenabulya, alias Kisunsu were taken back for scene reconstruction in Lungujja, Mukono, Nama, Namanve and Nateete.

“I pointed my toy gun to the driver of the vehicle who then rolled down the window and I ordered him to go to the back seat. Rasta on the other side also pointed a toy gun towards Nagirinya and Lubega pointed a panga at Nagirinya,” Kasolo narrated in the video played to court.

“At this time, I sat on the steering wheel as Rasta and Isaac(Ssenabulya) sat in the behind seats and asked the two to lie down.”

Kasolo is heard in the video recording telling detectives that he later drove the vehicle towards Mukono before stopping at Nama where they got out of the vehicle.

“After parking here, we planned what to do with the two people. Isaac(Ssenabulya) looked around for something to use and later got a log. He first took out the man whom he asked to lie facing down and he hit him several times.  The man got up and ran towards the bushes but he followed and continued hitting him like three or four times until he could not move,” Kasolo said in the recording played before court.

The suspect said in the video recording that whereas Nagirinya was all along speaking in English, he was pulled out of the vehicle by Ssenabulya from Lubega who was guarding her in the vehicle at taken out.

“Isaac pulled her down the trench where Rasta hit her with a jerk on the head until she was motionless. By now, Isaac and Rasta had got the phones of the two people.”

Weeps

Meanwhile, as the video recording was playing, Kasolo who for all the time during the trial had proved to be brave and bossy broke down in tears.

Tears could be seen running down his cheek endless as the video with his voice played in the background as he narrated the events on the day.

Kasolo was also seen using his hands to try to clean the tears as he tried to hide emotions.

The other court users including Nagirinya’s dad were left in awe and anger as they listened to Kasolo’s narration captured on camera.

Meanwhile, another suspect, Johnson Lubega alias Rasta was also captured on video narrating the role he played in the kidnap and subsequent murder of the duo.

Whereas Kasolo had earlier narrated that he played the key role in the kidnap, Lubega said he was more pronounced during the killing in Mukono.

“We first took out the man and I remained in the vehicle to guard the woman. It was Arsenal and Isaac who hit the two . After confirming they were dead, we left the scene,”Lubega told court.

He narrated in the video that he personally withdrew money from the two phones of Kitayimbwa and Nagirinya.

He said he had earlier got shs70,000 from Kitayimbwa’s pockets that he added onto the one he withdrew from Nagirinya’s phone and handed it over to their “commander” Kasolo to distribute evenly after deducting costs including paying for boda bodas and buying the panga among others.

Lubega however told court that he never declared that he had taken Kitayimbwa’s phone and that he later withdrew shs24000 from the line at a mobile money point in Kosovo, Lungujja.

This money he never shared with any of his group members.

Kasolo admits everything in video

When asked whether he was disputing the video recording and its contents, Kasolo admitted that everything in it was true but noted that they had been tortured by security before confessing to the murder.

“I don’t dispute the content of the video but we said everything after being tortured by security to say what they wanted us to say. Because I was tortured, I had nothing to do but say what they wanted to save my life,” Kasolo said.

However, in response, the trial judge, Isaac Muwata overruled Kasolo saying that since he has admitted that everything in the video is true, it can be tendered as an exhibit for the state.

The judge however advised that Kasolo can at a later stage challenge the manner in which the confession was got from him by security including torture.

The judge said for now, since the content of the video recording is not disputed, it can be used as evidence by the state.

Meanwhile, the state also presented two other witnesses including a mobile money agent at Lungujja ,Kosovo and another one in Nalukolongo who pined Johnson Lubega on using their mobile money points to withdraw money from the phones of Maria Nagirinya and Ronald Kitayimba.

The trial judge has adjourned the case to tomorrow, Wednesday.

Charges

The group including , Copriyan Kasolo, alias Arsenal, a shoe hawker in Nateete; Johnson Lubega alias Rasta unemployed; Nassif Kalyango alias Muwonge and Hassan Kiseeka alias Masadda both boda-boda riders in Kitaka Zone in Nateete and Sadat Kateregga’s alias Baros face charges related to kidnap, aggravated robbery and murder of Nagirinya and her driver Ronald Kitayimbwa which happened in 2019.

Their co-accused, Isaac Ssenabulya, alias Kisunsu earlier pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 40years imprisonment.

He was used as a state witness.

Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya and Timothy Emeri lead the prosecution by the state whereas Julius Sserwambala is the lawyer for the accused.