Former Kenyan presidential candidate Quincy Zuma Wambitta Timberlake has admitted guilty to the manslaughter of his three-year-old son, Sinclair Timberlake, in the year 2014.
The controversial husband of former news presenter, Esther Arunga, was scheduled to face murder charges in the Brisbane Supreme Court in Australia this week. However, he surprised the court on Tuesday, September 12 by changing his plea to guilty, but to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
The prosecution accepted his guilty plea, leading to the withdrawal of the murder charge, and as a result, the judge-only trial was canceled.
The court scheduled his sentencing for September 29.
Under Australian law, manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment when tried in the Supreme Court.
At first, both Quincy and Arunga had informed the Australian police that their son had suffered a fatal fall down the stairs at their Kallangur home north of Brisbane, Australia, and passed away shortly after.
However, twenty-six days later, Arunga changed her statement, alleging that Quincy had thrown their son against the wall and stomped on his stomach. This revelation aligned with the findings of the autopsy report.
Arunga said Quincy’s attack on their son was driven by his belief that their son was possessed by evil spirits that were in his stomach.
Arunga was charged as an accessory to murder and received a 10-month jail sentence, but she was granted immediate parole. The court took into account her state of mind when determining her sentence.
Judge Martin Burns noted that Esther Arunga’s beliefs had played a significant role in her difficulties as she attempted to raise a family in a foreign country, and tragically, this resulted in the loss of her son.
During pre-trial discussions, the court heard that Quincy Timberlake had been diagnosed with both psychosis and schizophrenia.
Before migrating to Australia, Timberlake grabbed headlines in 2010 when he announced his candidacy for the presidency in Kenya.
