…Mechanic friend arrested on suspicion of murder of ‘beautiful and talented’ city lawyer who was found strangled at her home
A ‘beautiful and talented’ City lawyer has been found strangled in her family home.
Elizabeth Nnyanzi, 31, a former pupil at the prestigious Cheltenham Ladies’ College, was found in an ‘unresponsive’ state by detectives.
Paramedics raced to the scene but she was pronounced dead at the £600,000 London home she shared with her parents and two sisters.
Mechanic Peter Kibisu, who was understood to be living with the family, was arrested on suspicion of murder the following day.
He and Miss Nnyanzi were said to be such long-term friends that they referred to each other as cousins.
Wearing a grey sweatshirt and jogging bottoms, the 23-year-old appeared at Hendon Magistrates’ Court today and was remanded into custody.
Miss Nnyanzi, who studied medicine at Imperial College before switching to follow in her father’s footsteps as a lawyer, was described by her family as a ‘young star’ whose death was ‘a huge loss to society’.
She worked for several charities and was said to be a keen singer who had been asked to perform in an opera at the Royal Albert Hall.
A relative, who did not wish to be named, said: ‘It’s horrible. I’m shocked because I have known her since she was a baby. She’s a lovely girl. So beautiful and doing very well. She was a very talented girl, a young star.
‘It is a really big loss not just for the family but for society in general because she has always done good things for people. We don’t know what happened. It’s the police’s job to find out.’
Miss Nnyanzi (pictured), who studied medicine at Imperial College before switching to follow in her father’s footsteps as a lawyer, was described by her family as a ‘young star’ whose death was ‘a huge loss to society’
Detectives were called to a three-bedroom house in Harrow, north London, (pictured) where Miss Nnyanzi was believed to live with her family, shortly before 6pm on Friday after receiving reports of an unresponsive woman
A family friend added: ‘She was a really nice girl, such a lovely person with a beautiful smile.
‘She was so intelligent and I know how proud her mother and father were of her. It’s just a huge shock. We haven’t seen her family but we have sent a message of support. We just can’t believe it.’
Miss Nnyanzi had lived at the three-bedroom house in Harrow, North London, with her family for more than 15 years.
Her mother Coreen is a food technology teacher at Nower Hill School in Harrow and her father Joseph is a solicitor at a legal aid firm.
Miss Nnyanzi had been working as a paralegal for four months at City law firm Herbert Smith Freehills after completing an internship with another firm Leigh Day.
A spokesman for the firm said: ‘We are shocked and very sorry to hear of this tragedy.’
Before embarking on her legal career, Miss Nnyanzi had volunteered for Mulaga Hospital in Uganda, where her father grew up.
She also volunteered at Freedom From Torture, a centre based in Finsbury Park with links to Amnesty International.
Forensics officers were seen removing large quantities of evidence in transparent plastic bags, including a suitcase and clothes
Police were called to the house at 5.55pm on Friday. They sealed off several houses and forensic teams spent three days collecting evidence.
A black VW Golf which is thought to have belonged to Kibisu was removed from the driveway by police.
One neighbour said: ‘Suddenly the street was just full of police and it has been that way ever since. There have been forensics going in and out of the house all day ever since.
‘They are a quiet family. They wave and say hello to people and that’s it. It’s unbelievable.’
Kibisu is due to appear before a judge at the Old Bailey tomorrow.