A group of men met at a small prayer house in Kayunga almost ten years back. They came asking for magic help after killing someone important. They wanted spells to hide what they did. One killer named Daniel later told police about this visit. The witch doctor backed up his story. Both said the men asked to make the murder case disappear through local magic.
The men shot Joan Kagezi dead on March 30, 2015. She worked as a top lawyer for Uganda and handled big cases against bad people. The killers found her when she stopped her truck to buy fruit. Her children sat inside the car, watching as men on bikes rode up and fired guns at their mother. The shooters raced away fast after she fell dead on the street.
Police searched for years without finding who did it. Then, in 2023, they caught several men tied to the crime. First came a bike driver called Massajjage John, who lived using fake names. Next, police grabbed three more men linked to the murder. Court papers say these men planned the killing from Congo. They paid for guns from across the border. Massajjage bragged about making $200,000 from the job.
After shooting Kagezi, the men traveled straight to see a magic man. They paid him 200,000 Uganda shillings to cast protection spells. The witch doctor sits in jail today for hurting a child, but he clearly picked out three of the men during police lineup tests. He told police exactly what they asked him to do that night. Phone records show two killers near the murder spot when Kagezi died.
Court papers explain that each man had special tasks during the attack. Two shot Kagezi directly. Two others cleared escape paths on bikes. They picked her because she put dangerous criminals behind bars. The judge called this more than simple murder - she said it was terrorism meant to scare the whole country. The killers stayed free eight years partly because of their careful planning.
This strange case mixes modern crime with old beliefs. These men trusted both guns and magic spells. They thought witch doctors might keep police away better than hiding or running. Even today, many Ugandans believe strongly in spirit powers. The legal system must deal with criminals who mix careful planning with faith in magic help. The men showed how far some will go when money, hate, and fear come together in deadly ways.
The men shot Joan Kagezi dead on March 30, 2015. She worked as a top lawyer for Uganda and handled big cases against bad people. The killers found her when she stopped her truck to buy fruit. Her children sat inside the car, watching as men on bikes rode up and fired guns at their mother. The shooters raced away fast after she fell dead on the street.
Police searched for years without finding who did it. Then, in 2023, they caught several men tied to the crime. First came a bike driver called Massajjage John, who lived using fake names. Next, police grabbed three more men linked to the murder. Court papers say these men planned the killing from Congo. They paid for guns from across the border. Massajjage bragged about making $200,000 from the job.
After shooting Kagezi, the men traveled straight to see a magic man. They paid him 200,000 Uganda shillings to cast protection spells. The witch doctor sits in jail today for hurting a child, but he clearly picked out three of the men during police lineup tests. He told police exactly what they asked him to do that night. Phone records show two killers near the murder spot when Kagezi died.
Court papers explain that each man had special tasks during the attack. Two shot Kagezi directly. Two others cleared escape paths on bikes. They picked her because she put dangerous criminals behind bars. The judge called this more than simple murder - she said it was terrorism meant to scare the whole country. The killers stayed free eight years partly because of their careful planning.
This strange case mixes modern crime with old beliefs. These men trusted both guns and magic spells. They thought witch doctors might keep police away better than hiding or running. Even today, many Ugandans believe strongly in spirit powers. The legal system must deal with criminals who mix careful planning with faith in magic help. The men showed how far some will go when money, hate, and fear come together in deadly ways.
