A witness in the murder case against Joseph Irungu alias Jowie and journalist Jackie Maribe was on Tuesday the center of attention after the court questioned him over a text he received from the slain businesswoman Monica Kimani.

The court asked Anthony Kariuki to explain if Monica was his lover. Kariuki told the court that she was his friend even though she sent him a weird text at 11 pm in the day she was wa murdered, saying, “Come help me sleep.”

Anthony Kariuki told the court that he found the text weird because their relationship had not moved to that level. ” But I responded that I would go the next morning,” said Kariuki.

While being led by the security counsel Catherine Mwaniki, he said that he had met Monica At around September 19 2018, at around 9:20pm. He said that he drove his car to Lamuria Gardens to meet her.

Kariuki was testifying in a case in which Jowie and Jackie Maribe are charged with the murder of Monica Kimani in 2018.

He said he first met the deceased during a dowry ceremony for his friend Willis in Nyeri on August 25, 2018 and it was Willis who introduced him to her. He told Justice Grace Nzioka that they talked and after the event, they went to have drinks together in Juja along Thinks road where other friends were.

Kariuki told the court that he met twice with Monica in her house at Lamuria Gardens to discuss business opportunities in South Sudan. In his second visit, he was told Monica has visitors, a Lebanese and a security guard from state house. But he didn’t enter the house, Monica went downstairs where they met.

On being asked how close they were, Kariuki said that Monica once asked food from him and not Willis who had introduced him to her, because Willis was in South Sudan. Kariuki said that he sent the food. During the hearing, Lawyer Katwa Kigen raised concerns that Jackie Maribe might be depressed because the case is taking too long. The court said that everyone standing trial must be mentally fit and anyone raising such claims should have prove of