The Christmas Murder of Kristy Bamu, The Teen Accused Of Being A Witch
Met PoliceMagalie Bamu and Eric Bikubi were later found guilty of murdering Kristy Bamu in 2010.
In 2010, 15-year-old Kristy Bamu traveled from Paris to London with four of his siblings to spend the holidays with his older sister, Magalie, and her partner, Eric Bikubi. But instead of celebrating the holidays with Kristy and the others, Magalie and Bikubi accused the siblings of being witches.
Bikubi claimed that Kristy and the others had brought “kindoki” — the word for witchcraft in their native Democratic Republic of the Congo — into his East London home. He and Magalie focused their attention on Kristy in particular and accused him of casting spells.
Though Kristy denied doing so, Bikubi and Magalie subjected the teenager to horrifying torture for days. According to The Guardian, they knocked out his teeth with a heavy bar and hammer, smashed ceramic floor tiles and bottles on his head, and used pliers to twist his ears.
Met PoliceThe killers used tools on hand to torture Kristy Bamu, including these ceramic tiles.
On Christmas Day, Bikubi and Magalie put Kristy in the bathtub for “ritual cleansing.” But the teenager was weak from torture and lack of food and water, and his siblings later told investigators that he “begged to die” before he slipped beneath the water and drowned.
“It was as if they were obsessed by witchcraft,” Kristy’s sister, Kelly, later testified according to The Guardian “They decided we had come there to kill them… Kristy asked for forgiveness. He asked again and again. Magalie did absolutely nothing. She didn’t give a damn. She said we deserved it.”
Though Bikubi’s attorneys argued that he suffered from mental health issues, a judge found both Bikubi and Magalie guilty. For their Christmas murder, Bikbui was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in prison and Magalie Bamu was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years.
