Chameleone Intruder’s Mysterious Death, THE UNTOLD STORY

JOSEPH MAYANJA alias Dr. Jose Chameleone, was grilled by cops at CIID headquarters in Kibuli on Thursday about the death of Robert Karamagi, 27, who allegedly burnt himself at the musician’s home on December 26, 2012.

Karamagi died a few hours after being admitted to Mulago hospital Kampala, where medics who handled his body are yet to release the postmortem report. However, it should be noted that like the controversial death of Cerinah Nebanda, the late Butalejja MP, Karamagi’s mysterious demise is turning out to be a boomerang for Chameleone.

This is because Karamagi’s body on close observation, looks like he was half-dead by the time cops arrived to handcuff and bundle him onto a Police patrol truck. Not because he had set himself ablaze, but because he had allegedly been clobbered several times, before being set ablaze, according to his family members Karamagi’s family insists that police should be fair and just in handling this matter, such that justice is duly meted out.
Conflicting Stories

It is vital to note here that Chameleone, his wife Daniella Atim and their honchos are telling very conflicting stories.

To start with, Chameleone and family told cops and the press that Karamagi was a terrorist who had invaded their home with intentions to torch it down but instead ended up setting himself ablaze. But we all know that terrorists of that kind commit such acts in streets, markets, churches, or other public places with lots of people, not at an individual’s home.

Chameleone and family later said that Karamagi was a thief who had invaded their house in Seguku and after a bitter exchange with Daniella, set himself ablaze. Chameleone even went ahead to parade a laptop, flat TV screen and phones, as items that Karamagi had stolen before being apprehended by Daniella, information which Daniella had earlier not given police, since she had just had a bitter exchange with Karamagi.

All that put aside, let us assume that Karamagi intruded Chameleone’s home to steal, but usually, thieves never burn themselves when caught, they are actually lynched before being set ablaze by their captors in a brutal mob justice manner. Ask yourself; why would Karamagi, who had not been declared mentally ill by the time of his death, have the courtesy of buying petrol and sneaking into Chameleone’s home to burn himself from there?

Fire Experts

Although Chameleone and family purport that Karamagi set himself on fire, there lots of suspicious traces on his body, which indicated otherwise. According to fire experts, people who set themselves ablaze usually have fire starting points, which was not the case with Karamagi’s body, which looked like he had instead been steadily set on fire. Mental experts on suicide by burning oneself (self immolation) also contend that people always do so as a form of political, socio-economic or religious protest, like the monks of Dalai Lama, which was not Karamagi’s case.

In addition, experts also reveal that people who set themselves on fire with petrol take long to die and do not bleed from the nose and mouth, because most of their blood clots inside their bodies. Neither do people who burn themselves have battered heads.

Unanswered Questions

Indeed Karamagi’s death is very mysterious and raises a lot of questions; the first one being; how did Karamagi access Chameleone’s home on the morning of Boxing Day December 26, 2012?

Since Chameleone and family have denied knowing Karamagi and branded him a thief, let us assume that sneaked into the house. However, how did he jump over the fortified perimeter wall surrounding Chameleone’s house, without either the dogs or Askaris spotting him?

Should we presume that a celebrity like Chameleone cannot afford having guards at his gate or locking it while going to sleep and so anyone can easily access it?

Then, where did Karamagi get burnt from; was he inside the house or outside? It should be noted that Chameleone and family insist that Karamagi was inside the house, where Daniella met him. So if he had set himself ablaze in the house, there could have been a mess at the scene, with a few items of furniture, carpet or curtains burnt a bit or soot on the walls. However, it is evident that Karamagi was burnt from outside Chameleone’s house, at a spot where Daniella showed the police. By closely observing the spot, which is the left or right wing of Chameleone’s house, it is quite evident that something or someone was burnt there, given the soot on the wall and burnt shrub.

So if Karamagi was inside Chameleone’s house, how did he end up burning himself to near death from outside?

Why didn’t Daniella and the rest, on seeing Karamagi burning, make an alarm or splash him with water to put out the fire? Unless they wanted him burnt, why didn’t Chameleone call police or his neighbours immediately to help him with the invader?

Eyewitness Confession

Matters worsened for Chameleone when on Wednesday a 13-year-old eyewitness confessed to cops that the singer and his honchos battered Karamagi, before setting him ablaze. According to security sources, the minor, whose identity is concealed because of the sensitivity of the matter, gave cops a full account of how and what led to Karamagi’s death.

The shocking confession gravely pins the singer and a gang of hang-on boys at his crib as having mercilessly clobbered him to pulp, before setting his body ablaze to disguise their acts by making Karamagi appear as if he had committed suicide by burning himself.

The minor insists that Karamagi did not set himself ablaze, but police are yet to release an official report about his death, since his family wants justice to be done. It should also be noted that the police do not condone acts of mob justice and insist that no one should take the law in their hands, because whoever does so, faces the wrath of justice.

By Mwiine Moses

About Post Author

Staff Writer

editor

See author's posts