Murder Suicide During Church Service

An internal church dispute turned deadly Sunday at the Ground for God’s Gospel Church in Mombasa, Kenya when assistant pastor Elijah Misiko left his seat during prayer and approached his wife, Ann Mughoi at the pulpit.

“He walked up to his wife while the church was praying as if he wanted to whisper something to her,” Mombasa sub-county police commander Julius Kiragu said. “Then he took one of the knives and stabbed her (wife) two times. He believed she was dead. He then stabbed himself three times in the stomach and slit his throat.”

Misiko died of his wounds at the scene.  Mughoi died at a hospital several hours later.

It is reported that the couple had been fighting over church leadership and ownership since 2017.

That same year, Mughoi made a report to police that her husband was intending to kill her.  Authorities held Misiko overnight while they investigated and released him the following day citing they found the accusations untrue.

Since the argument about ownership and leadership began though, it is reported that Mughoi and Misiko have been separated and that Mughoi tried to have as little contact with her husband as possible.  It is unclear as to where their four children resided.

According to police, Misiko left a 17 page suicide note behind accusing his wife of changing ownership documents for the church which they had founded together into her name alone.