Man raped and murdered woman (Lawyer) while staying as a lodger in her house

A 23-year-old mechanic strangled a 'beautiful and talented' lawyer to death in her bedroom while he was staying as a lodger in her family home.
Peter Kibisu murdered Elizabeth Nnyanzi, 31, while lodging at the house in Harrow, north west London, where she had lived with her parents and two sisters for 15 years.
Kibisu, who was said to be so close to Miss Nnyanzi that she called him her cousin, is also accused of raping his victim before the killing. He is yet to enter a plea to that charge.
Miss Nnyanzi, a former pupil at the prestigious Cheltenham Ladies' College who studied medicine before pursuing a career in law, died in August this year.

The court heard how, at the time, Kibisu had been welcomed into the £600,000 semi-detached home and was a close family friend.

Appearing in the dock at the Old Bailey today, the defendant showed no emotion as he pleaded guilty to murder.

Prosecutor Mark Heywood QC said a further charge of rape has been added to the indictment following fresh scientific evidence. Kibisu was remanded in custody until 8 January when the rape charge will be dealt with.

He said: 'Further evidence has come to the possession of the Crown - particularly scientific evidence. It includes evidence from DNA and a pathologist report.

'As a result of that evidence, the Crown seeks to apply to add a count to amend an indictment. The proposed count is rape.'

His lawyer Courtenay Griffiths QC told the court that his actions had come like a 'bolt from the blue'.  

Detectives were called to her three-bedroom semi-detached home shortly before 6pm on 14 August after police received reports of an unresponsive woman.

Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service raced to the scene, but Miss Nnyanzi was pronounced dead when they arrived.

Following her murder, family members described Miss Nnyanzi as a 'beautiful and talented' young woman, who had decided to follow in her father's footsteps by taking up a career in law.

They described her as a 'young star' and said her death was a 'huge loss to society'.

Miss Nnyanzi studied medicine at Imperial College before following in her father's footsteps to pursue a career in law.

She started work at top international firm Herbert Smith Freehills in May of this year after completing an internship with another firm Leigh Day. She had previously worked for several charities.

She was said to be a keen singer who had been asked to perform in an opera at the Royal Albert Hall.

She also volunteered at Freedom From Torture, a centre based in Finsbury Park with links to Amnesty International.

Her mother Coreen is a food technology teacher at Nower Hill School in Harrow and her father Joseph is a solicitor at a legal aid firm.

Kibisu pleaded guilty to a single count of murder. He is yet to enter a plea to a charge of rape on the same occasion.

His address given in court was the same as the Nnyanzi family. He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on January 8.