Autopsy finds stab wounds killed Regina Re’s 86-year-old mother

Government pathologist Dr Bernard Midia confirms multiple stab wounds to the neck as the cause of Dorita Macharia’s death, as four family members remain in custody at Gigiri Police Station.

By Grace Wanja

Dorita Lasinder Macharia, 86, was found dead in a pool of blood inside her Loresho residence on the night of Friday, October 30, and a postmortem examination has now established that she died from severe external bleeding caused by multiple stab wounds to the neck.

Government pathologist Dr Bernard Midia conducted the examination at Lee Funeral Home on Tuesday, with lawyers representing both the deceased’s family and the suspects in attendance. The process lasted more than two hours. “The injury consisted of multiple stab wounds to the neck with injury to the blood vessels, which led to severe external bleeding,” Midia told those present. “Two deep stab wounds in the neck. There were also other sharp force injuries, cut wounds to various parts of the body.” The findings confirmed that the wounds were not confined to the neck — Macharia sustained additional sharp force injuries across different parts of her body before she died.

The case has since drawn intense public attention because of who is at the centre of it. Among the four suspects detained in connection with Macharia’s death is her daughter, veteran television personality Regina Wambui Gitau, widely known by her stage name Regina Re. Also held are Macharia’s granddaughter, Thande Malaika Gitau, who is 18 years old; her son, Alton Jimmy Macharia; and Emmanuel Munyeki, identified as the granddaughter’s boyfriend.

Police initially responded after Regina reportedly informed them that unknown attackers had invaded the residence and killed her mother. Investigators subsequently began examining events leading to the elderly woman’s death, including a reported confrontation between Dorita and her granddaughter Thande.

Nairobi Magistrate Barbara Akinyi authorised police to detain all four suspects for ten days at Gigiri Police Station, granting investigators time to conduct forensic examinations, record witness statements and establish the precise circumstances surrounding Macharia’s death. Senior Counsel Philip Murgor, appearing for the family, confirmed that Macharia was allegedly attacked inside her own home and sustained injuries that led to her death. The matter is scheduled for mention on November 12.

The autopsy findings now form a central part of the police dossier as investigators piece together what happened at the Loresho home on the night of October 30. The pathologist’s testimony establishes both the nature and severity of the violence Macharia suffered — detail that prosecutors will rely on heavily if the case proceeds to trial.

For Regina Re, once a familiar face on Kenyan television, the investigation has upended her public life entirely. The question that remains — and that investigators must now answer — is not only how Dorita Macharia died, but who, in a household of her own family, decided that she should.

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