NAIROBI Kenya February 8 -The process of seeking justice for the family of the woman who was murdered in the US has been thrown into disarray after the main suspect, Kevin Kangethe Kinyanjui, escaped from lawful custody on Wednesday night in unclear circumstances.
Following the escape, four police officers and a lawyer who had visited the fugitive were arrested by the detectives and are to be arraigned Friday, February 9.
Kangethe was arrested on January 29 in Westlands Nairobi after being on the run for three months.
He is believed to have murdered Margaret Mbitu shortly before boarding a 16-hour flight to Nairobi to avoid prosecution.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the escape was well-planned just like his escape from shortly after the murder.
The suspect, for example, was found to have also bought tickets on October 31 morning, just hours after Margaret’s death.
Constables Elijah Kipkorir and James Maina who were manning the report office said at around 4pm, they were approached by a man, John Maina Ndegwa, who introduced himself as the suspect’s lawyer.
The man further said he wanted to talk to the suspect and the officers agreed and removed Kangethe from the cells.
“The officers agreed to his request and removed the prisoner from the cells and took him to Anti-crime office, Number 3. After a short while the prisoner escaped by running away and left the lawyer behind,” a police report reads.
During the incident, it is reported that the station commander, Chief Inspector Esther Muchomba was chairing a meeting with her junior officers.
The suspect is said to have fled along the Thika superhighway and efforts to re-arrest him were fruitless.
Constables Kipkorir and Maina, the station guards Constables Ann Wanjiku and Abdi Hassan Saman plus the advocate were all arrested and detained at the station as investigations continue.
Kangethe was being detained by the police as the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution began the extradition process.
To ensure he is not repatriated without a court process, Kangethe had renounced his US citizenship
On February 2, prosecutor Vincent Monda asked the court to endorse the US warrant for Kangethe’s arrest and issue directions for the extradition proceedings.
An arrest warrant was issued on November 2, after Massachusetts State Police found the body of the 31-year-old Margaret in a car at Boston’s Logan Airport Central Parking garage the night before.
On November 3 last year, investigators in Massachusetts released Kangethe’s photos, one of which was captured on security cameras at Logan Airport as Kangethe fled for Kenya.
Mbitu was found dead with stab wounds in the front passenger seat of a car at Boston Logan Airport on November 2, just two days after her family reported her missing.
Preliminary investigations revealed Kangethe stabbed Mbitu several times before dumping her body at the airport’s Central parking garage and boarding a flight to Kenya.
According to Mbitu’s mother, Rose Mbitu, her daughter was dating Kangethe but she was trying to end the relationship.
Mbitu lived with her family in Whitman and worked in Boston Area Multi-Services Inc (Bamsi) in Brockton, about 7.2 km away.
On October 30 night, she drove 62 km to Boston Logan Airport to see Kang’ethe, who lived in Lowell, about 80km from Margaret’s home in Whitman.
Local media reported that surveillance footage placed Margaret’s car in Lowell and in Chelsea, Massachusetts, the day before she was killed.
The 31-year-old nurse clocked out of her shift at 11pm last October 30.
She got into her white Toyota Venza and drove off, in what would be the last time she would be seen alive.
Those close to Margaret knew she would return home after work. Family members reported her missing after she did not return home and could not be reached by phone.
It is still unknown whether she knew her partner was planning to travel to Kenya.
Two days later, Massachusetts State Police officers found Margaret’s body in her car. Authorities have not revealed much, except that preliminary evidence points to Kang’ethe as the prime suspect.
Margaret was a naturalised US citizen. She graduated from Quincy College in 2018 and worked for Bamsi, a non-profit organisation.
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