Accused serial killer nicknamed “Vampire” escapes prison

An accused Kenyan serial killer dubbed the “vampire” and suspected of murdering 42 women has escaped from custody along with 12 other inmates, officials said Tuesday.

Mohamed Amin, the head of the national criminal investigation department, said Collins Jumaisi Khalusha from Kenya and other suspects from Eritrea were helped to escape from Gigiri police station in Nairobi with the help of eight officers, including the station commander.

Officials say the inmates cut through a wire mesh fence in their cells and climbed over a perimeter wall. Management only learned of the escape when officers went into the cells to serve the inmates breakfast.

“Our preliminary investigations indicate that the escape was facilitated by insiders, given that appropriate officers were deployed to protect the station,” Amin said.

“This was a high-level suspect facing serious charges,” Amin said of Khalusha, 33, whom police described as “a vampire, a psychopath.”

“We are investigating the incident and will take appropriate action,” Amin said.

The outbreak came after authorities ordered Khalusha to remain in police custody for another week while detectives continued their investigations into the 42 murders linked to him.

Khalusha was arrested in July after authorities were informed of the discovery of 10 mutilated bodies in a quarry in Nairobi's Kware district.

According to official information, Khalusha confessed to killing not only the ten women but also 32 others within two years. The first victim was his missing wife.

When he was arrested, Amin described the suspect as a “psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life.”

Khalusha's lawyer John Maina Ndegwa had previously told reporters that his client was innocent and had only confessed after he was allegedly tortured by police.

Ndegwa said he last spoke to his client on Friday when the court ordered another seven days' detention. The lawyer was baffled by the prison break.

“I'm also confused by the news,” he told the Associated Press.

The eight officers accused of helping Khalusha and the other detainees escape now face disciplinary action, said Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli.

With post wires