Muziwokuthula Selby Madonda, 34, of Chicago, Illinois was arrested on March 27, 2011 by MCSO and Federal Marshalls on a murder warrant from Tucumcari, New Mexico. He was accused of killing 57-year-old Bobby Gonzales and his step-son, 37-year-old Gabriel Baca in the Tucumcari Inn.
Masonda was living just a few rooms down from the murder victims. He was working a temporary job in town. The last time the two men were seen was on the 24th of March. That weekend Mondonda checked out of his room.
New Mexico State Police was able to develop a suspect and track his movements to Spring Texas. New Mexico State Police then requested assistance from the Texas Rangers in efforts to apprehend the suspect. Texas Rangers were able to determine that the suspect was meeting someone at a business in south Montgomery County. Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit and S.W.A.T. team members from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were contacted and assisted with the investigation.
New Mexico State Police were able to secure Murder warrants on Muziwokuthula S. Madonda . It was learned during the investigation that the suspect was possibly traveling in a 90’s model Chevrolet Astro Van with Illinois license plates.
On March 27th, at approximately 12:12 am the suspect arrived in a vehicle at the Denny’s restaurant in south Montgomery County where he was “boxed in” by unmarked police vehicles and taken into custody without incident.
Assisting in the investigation was the Texas Rangers, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit Detectives, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. Team, Texas Highway Patrol Troopers, and the U.S. Marshalls.
Tonight officials say Madonda has now confessed to two additional murders.
The string of murders started with the robbery and shooting of Akron, Ohio bank vice-president Jacquelyn Hilder in February in which he was a suspect.
Several days later on February 19th, the body of Zenzele D. Mdadane, 25, of Durban, South Africa, was found in a wooded area near Butler Township in Montgomery County, Ohio which is near Dayton, Ohio..
He told Akron detectives who visited him here that he was confessing because he wanted to cleanse his soul so he can try to get his way back into heaven after confessing . This after nearly three hours of interviews.
Madonda came to the United States in 2008 and studied theology at a Georgia seminary. He also studied engineering in the United Kingdom.
The detectives who interviewed him stated they were told he wanted to be successful by the age of 30 to help his ailing parents.Since that didn’t happen he felt he a failure so turned to crime to make his money. The first being the robbery and murder of Hidler.
He is still being held in the Montgomery County Jail.
