Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A Buffalo man has pled guilty Friday to killing his girlfriend in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park nearly four years ago.
22-year-old Mushagdusa Nankumba pleaded guilty before Erie County Court Judge Susan Eagan to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Class "B" violent felony). The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge in full satisfaction of the indictment.
During the early morning hours of Saturday, April 17, 2021, the defendant caused the death of his girlfriend by beating and strangling the victim. The crime occurred inside of a vehicle, which was parked at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park near West Parade Avenue in the City of Buffalo.
After the attack, the defendant contacted a family member who called 9-1-1. Responding Buffalo Police officers found the victim, 18-year-old Larrinsha Johnson, unresponsive in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Erie County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the victim died from asphyxia due to strangulation.
Nankumba, who was 18-years-old at the time of the crime, was placed under arrest, and has remained in custody since his arrest.
Nankumba was found not competent to proceed following a forensic exam in August 2021. He was transferred to a secure psychiatric facility in Rochester.
In June 2023, the defendant was returned to court after additional psychiatric evaluations found him competent to proceed to trial.
Nankumba faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on Monday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m. He remains held without bail.
