Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie sentenced to 200 years for starvation deaths of 190 children
Summary
A Kenyan court sentenced Paul Mackenzie, leader of the Good News International Church, on Friday to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children and one adult. He was convicted of ordering followers to starve themselves to death so they could "meet Jesus", and Africanews reports that he and 28 accomplices were convicted. The Guardian reports the term is 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years for direct homicide, and that the sentence came two weeks after the guilty verdict. According to the South China Morning Post, Justice Diana Kavedza said Mackenzie bore the "primary" responsibility. The victims were buried in a forest near the coastal resort of Malindi, in what became known as the Shakahola Forest massacre. The BBC reports a life sentence rather than a 200-year term, and the other articles do not explain the difference. Death tolls vary: CBC and the Straits Times put suspected victims at about 500, the South China Morning Post says the cult is linked to more than 400 deaths, and Hindustan Times reports that hundreds of bodies have been found at the sect's base since 2023.
Timeline
Al Jazeera
Source ↗Al Jazeera reports that a Kenyan court sentenced Mackenzie and his accomplices to 200 years in prison after they were convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult.
Hindustan Times
Source ↗Hindustan Times reports that Mackenzie was sentenced to 200 years in jail for murdering 190 children and one adult, and that hundreds of bodies have been found since 2023 at the sect's base near Malindi.
South China Morning Post
Source ↗The South China Morning Post reports that the High Court in Mombasa sentenced Pastor Paul Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murders of 191 people, and that the cult is linked to the deaths of more than 400 people.
CBC News
Source ↗CBC reports that a Kenyan court sentenced Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children starved to death on his orders, among about 500 suspected victims.
CBS News
Source ↗CBS News reports that Mackenzie was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult after he ordered followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus.
The Straits Times
Source ↗The Straits Times reports that a Kenyan court sentenced Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children starved to death on his orders and buried in a forest, among 500 suspected victims.
RTÉ
Source ↗RTÉ reports that a Kenyan court sentenced Mackenzie to 200 years in prison for the murders of 190 children starved to death on his orders and buried in a forest.
Africanews
Source ↗Africanews reports that self-proclaimed pastor Mackenzie was sentenced to 200 years in prison for the murder of 190 children and one adult, after he and 28 accomplices were convicted.
RFI
Source ↗RFI reports that a self-proclaimed preacher was sentenced to 200 years on Friday for murdering 191 people, mostly children, by forcing them to starve, with hundreds of bodies found since 2023 near Malindi.
BBC
Source ↗The BBC reports that Mackenzie was given a life sentence for murdering 191 people after he ordered followers to starve their children to death in a forest so they could "meet Jesus".
NPR
Source ↗NPR reports that cult leader Paul Mackenzie was sentenced to 200 years in prison for murdering 190 children and one adult after he ordered followers to starve themselves to death in order to meet Jesus.
The Guardian
Source ↗The Guardian reports that Mackenzie was sentenced to 200 years for the murders of 190 children and one adult, comprising 100 years for murder by starvation and 100 years for direct homicide, two weeks after the guilty verdict.
Le Monde
Source ↗Le Monde reports that Paul Mackenzie, a self-proclaimed preacher, was sentenced to 200 years in prison after being convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult in a starvation cult.
Channel NewsAsia
Source ↗Channel NewsAsia reports that Kenyan preacher Paul Mackenzie was sentenced to 200 years in prison for causing the deaths of 190 children by encouraging them to starve themselves.
The New York Times
Source ↗The New York Times reports that Paul Nthenge Mackenzie was handed a 200-year prison sentence for mass murder, after telling followers to starve themselves to meet Jesus in an edict that was violently enforced, a court heard during his trial.
Comments
No comments yet.
to like and comment.