Relatives Accused of Killing Teen They Thought Was a Witch
EmailRelatives who suspected a British teenager of practicing witchcraft beat and drowned him Christmas Day 2010 as he “begged to die” because of the pain they were inflicting, prosecutors alleged in a London court.
Kristy Bamu, a 15-year-old boy from Newham, east London, allegedly died at the hands of Eric Bikubi and his partner, Magalie Bamu, Kristy’s sister. Both of them have denied the charges.
Bikubi and Bamu allegedly forced Kristy’s four siblings to join in the attack.
The alleged attackers hit the teen with sticks, metal bars, a hammer and chisel, prosecutors said, and he “begged to die” because of the pain from the beating.
“It was only when he [Bikubi] realized that he [Kristy] wasn’t moving that he stopped what he was doing … by then it was too late,” prosecutor Brian Altman said.
Kristy suffered more than 100 injuries.
Kristy and his siblings had arrived in London from Paris to see the East London couple for Christmas. But Kelly, Kristy’s elder sister, said the trip turned sour when Eric Bikubi accused her and Kristy of practicing witchcraft and sorcery. Eric Bikubi also accused them of influencing his 3-year-old son.
“Despite her own siblings’ denials that they were sorcerers, Magalie Bamu joined her boyfriend in repeating these fantastic claims and participating in the assaults,” Altman alleged.
“They beat them, refusing to let them eat, drink or sleep for days while the punishments being meted out became increasingly violent, with them using many implements found in the flat as weapons of torture,” Altman said.
“However, it was Kristy Bamu who became the focus of Bikubi’s attention and, in a desperate attempt to prevent any further suffering, he and his two sisters were eventually to admit to being sorcerers. Wickedly, the defendants also recruited sibling against sibling as vehicles for their violence,” Altman told the court.
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People are so sick these days my goodness when siblings turn on siblings and death results it’s a tragedy. This world is being run by Satan, it’s time the Lord come back and put an end to all this evil!
Posted by: jane | January 9, 2012, 7:40 am 7:40 am
Leave it to ABC News to leave out a few important details that might explain the story!!!!
“Those involved were originally from the Congo where ‘kindoki’ witchcraft pervades society, he said. It exists alongside the Christian church where religious leaders encourage fasting and purifying with water to exorcise spirits from children.”
Posted by: run26mi | January 9, 2012, 8:14 am 8:14 am
“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” — Voltaire
Even some of the comments indicate belief that one supernatural, magical entity will fix the mischief done by another mythical, supernatural, magical entity. Interestingly, the alleged ‘fix’ (mass genocide and extermination) is just as evil or more so than the things it’s supposedly a remedy for.
Posted by: Minorkey1 | January 9, 2012, 8:27 am 8:27 am
How insanely stupid and evil. I hope every one of these muderers who harmed this guy get the death sentence.
Posted by: Scotti | January 9, 2012, 8:33 am 8:33 am
End the drug war. This is good and will allow empty jail space. Then put all the witch hunters we can find in prison for a more Libertarian world.
Posted by: George | January 9, 2012, 10:59 am 10:59 am
Alas, ignorance begets more ignorance and depravity. I don’t think Great Britain has the death penalty any longer. Too bad. The death penalty should be meted out for crimes such as these.
Posted by: Ted TampaBay | January 9, 2012, 12:05 pm 12:05 pm
They’re supposed to pray to Heavely Father in Jesus name that He deliver them from the clutches of Satan, not kill the young lost soul themselves. Now the killers have to deal with that sin and the young man never had a chance to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour to save his soul.
Posted by: Vincent Sr | January 9, 2012, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
This type of judgment, is prevalent today. When a “fear” of something is instilled into a people, who are also ignorant of their manipulation, they will say and do almost any vile thing. Sadder still, they consider it an assault on their beliefs, etc., when in reality, the ones they project hatred toward are, most often, of kindred spirit. We are all derivatives of the “Great Light”, whose name is personalized by our cultures, our religion, our non-religion. Once we all realize the “Great Light” is “Love” itself, tragedies like this will only be a part of our humiliating past.
Posted by: Deb Sartelle | January 9, 2012, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
I’m sorry…WHAT YEAR IS THIS?!
Posted by: Court | January 9, 2012, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm
What country were they from?
Yeah. Once you know that, this story isn’t surprising at all.
Posted by: kevin chicwak | January 9, 2012, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm
I suppose that depending on the culture or society, these things can have more of an impact on people and their lives, but this is absurb. they should know and understand the laws of other places, they may find what they were trying to do acceptable, but we do not. this resembles the phrase, “we are afriad of what is different” some peoople take their fear to extremes.
Posted by: michaela | January 9, 2012, 1:48 pm 1:48 pm
I don’t see why they thought the 15 year old boy was a witch, it sounded like it should be placed in the 1800s. First off they shouldnt have beat him to death. He was their own family. It is wrong and disgusting to think that a family would do that, to rid him of his withcraft ways. They used metal bars to do this. He suffered enough injuries and was pleaing to die. It just really disgusts me.
Posted by: Shelley | January 9, 2012, 1:51 pm 1:51 pm
@run26mi: Oh, right, since they’re originally from the Congo then it’s all right then, innit? Everyone knows how backwards “those people” are. (P.S. This is sarcasm. No matter where they were originally from, this kind of thing is never okay or explainable.)
Posted by: NS | January 9, 2012, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
It’s beyond my imagination that anyone can believe in witchcraft (our any other supernatural nonsense) in this day and age. Yes, even if they’re from Africa. This is the harm that religion brings. ALL OF THEM.
Posted by: 6uldvnt | January 9, 2012, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
So a psycho killed a kid in the name of religion. It can’t have been about religion at all – just an atrocity in the name of it. Poor kid was probably wearing black pants- who knows? Apparently, no one has done their research. Witches/pagans/wiccans don’t believe in Satan. It’s a Christian entity. Satanists worship Satan. Cults are out to serve an individual, not a community. Has no one heard the Wiccan Rede “do what you will, thou it harm none”, what you do has consequences, something like that. Fiction is WAY more interesting than reality. They just use different words, rituals, and tools that mimic the same thing christians and other world religions do. It’s a way to pray and connect to the Universe/Divine. I can’t speak for everyone, but take the blinders off!
Posted by: Crystal | January 9, 2012, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm
@Jane,
Really? This world is run by “Satan” is it? Can you please explain how you’ve come to that conclusion?
While you’re at it, can you explain whether god is actually all powerful and all knowing, or if he’s just “really really powerful and smart”, but not quite powerful and smart enough to outsmart the devil?
This one always baffles me. Jews, Christians and Muslims always assure us that god is all knowing and all powerful, and yet then claim that we somehow have “evil”, “free will” and a devil. A fun fact: the existence of an all powerful and all knowing being is rationally contradictory in of itself, and does not allow for the existence of free will or morality. This is because a being with absolute power cannot exclude itself from any part of something it has created, as it logically MUST know the final outcome of every action it undertakes. That means that god is responsible for the most horrible evil and also the most wonderful benevolence and that free will is simply an illusion.
As for the actions of these people, the real villain here is ignorance and prejudice. These people come from a backward part of Africa that still believes wholeheartedly in the existence of witchcraft. Once upon a time these activities were widespread in Europe and America, but those places now know that to believe in such things is silly.
Posted by: Dan | January 9, 2012, 8:10 pm 8:10 pm
Isn’t cultural diversity great. With out it our children could possibly miss out on the rich cultural experience of Africans murdering someone for being a witch.. England needs a few hundred thousand more of these culturally enriching Congolese Africans…. YIPEEE
Posted by: Diedra Johnson | January 9, 2012, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm
Many christians say that it is not their “God” who encourages atrocities, it is the evil in the heart of man that does. Then they say their bible is the true holy word of their God comming from his mouth. Yet it encourages killing, rape, torture, animal sacrafice, and all kinds of abominations. This is one of the main reasons I am not a christian.
Posted by: Atreya | January 10, 2012, 5:01 am 5:01 am
If you suspect someone of witchcraft or sorcery, contact the police. These people took the law into their own hands, with tragic results. This story shows why the rule of law is so important in civilized society. “Innocent until proven guilty” is the cornerstone of modern criminal justice.
Posted by: Saker | January 10, 2012, 8:18 am 8:18 am
Im almost speechless from being so sickened by this article. Wether the persecutor believed the family of any type of witchcraft,in no way does this warrant death. What religion anyone believes in is their own personal right. Killing another human over said “rumors” of witchcraft….how much more sickening can this be….I dont even know what to say, this story is way too numbing for mr to even even go on commenting on…
Posted by: MiztressMetal | January 11, 2012, 2:24 am 2:24 am
Psychotic dumbasses that need a lobotomy!
Posted by: Meredith | January 12, 2012, 12:18 pm 12:18 pm
No JANE the world is run by the dirty underhanded Christians they are the true evil in this world and if your blind to that look up omitted sections and edited sections in the bible that pretty much are close to the allownace of honor killings, killing heretics, killing ppl of other religions if they willingly chose to NOT convert (look up the crusades thats mainly the reason Islam HATES the Christians) oh and Diedra look at how many Innocent Woman the white man killed during The Salem Witch Trials
Posted by: AL | January 12, 2012, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
Even if the teen was a Wiccan or Pagan, a religious choice does NOT merit death.
I beg the world to stop being stupid when it comes to a person’s choice of beliefs.
Posted by: Willow | January 13, 2012, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
There is evil and stupidity in this world. These people are the clear cut reason of why places like the Congo will always be a place of bloodshed and war. They just don’t know anything else!
Posted by: Mike Jones | January 14, 2012, 6:20 am 6:20 am
Darwinism at work. One dead (and a male, at that … capable of being the father of hundreds a year – perhaps more), at least a hope of one other (another male – yahoo!) or possibly two (one a female, capable of producing up to 6 every 9 months, or so). Seems a win-win situation, for that East London town … and a reasonably good win for Paris, as well.
Posted by: Bella Beaglet | January 14, 2012, 6:44 am 6:44 am
This is an extremely tragic example of Ignorance and superstition combining with weak-minded, easily manipulated people who seek to blame someone or something else for their own inadequacies (e.g., poor parenting skills) or “bad luck.” That poor boy – betrayed and killed by his own family. Just imagining the heartbreak and violence he suffered at their hands makes me sick with sadness. :_( History is rife with these types of stories. No matter how much we want to believe mankind is evolving, becoming a more civilized and benevolent species, the daily news reminds us that’s just wishful thinking. People still kill each other out of fear, spite, and/or their own selfish gain. It’s no wonder the world clamors for some happy stories…
Posted by: Sojourner | January 14, 2012, 11:47 am 11:47 am
did they check if he floated first along with a piece of wood or perhaps some tiny rocks? only witches float in water. this guy drowned so i guess he wasn’t a witch
Posted by: mike | January 16, 2012, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm
@Mike on 1/16: Best Comment By Far Man…
Posted by: Megapril | January 17, 2012, 11:21 pm 11:21 pm
This story hurts my heart… it’s good to see comments of people defending people who actually ARE “witches”. We’re not evil, people. We don’t acknowledge the existence of a “devil” and all we want is to be left in peace to practice what we want, or this kind of crime against humanity will happen. Witchcraft is not anything to be punished for. What is this, 1700? And I was under the impression that Great Britain was one of the most open-minded countries when it came to religion. It’s a shame they don’t use the death penalty anymore – in America that is precisely what these horrible excuses for humans would get. No one deserves persecution for their religious beliefs and I am glad to know karma will take care of them, if not the government. Educate yourself, people, and think before you judge someone just because they believe something different than you. Learn from mistakes like this and try not to repeat them. Whatever happened to “thou shall not kill” or “love thy neighbor”? Oh yeah, Exodus 22:18 states “thou shall not suffer a witch to live”. Christianity is the most messed up and contradictory religion I have ever seen. We are a peaceful religion and we just want to be respected as individuals, just like everyone else. May this boy’s memory serve as a lesson to humanity.
Posted by: Lily | February 2, 2012, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm