US murder suspect Kevin Kangethe laments media scrutiny in court
Kenya Police recaptured wanted fugitive Kevin Kinyanjui Kangethe dead on the night of February 13, 2024, in the Ngong area.
He was arrested a week after staging a daring escape from the Muthaiga Police Station in Kiambu County where he was being held ahead of extradition to America.
Mr Kangethe is wanted in the United States of America where he is facing murder charges.
His girlfriend’s body was found in his car which he parked at an airport parking lot before he boarded a flight and fled to Kenya.
He was presented at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on February 14, 2024, and from the docks, he decried intense media attention on his case before the court trial began.
He lamented to an unidentified man seated beside him in the dock as journalists swarmed around him asking him questions about his plight and what he had been charged with.
In a series of responses, he said, “Boss, you have taken so many pictures,”, “You guys, why don’t you wait for the case to begin?” and “Stop all these things you are doing. Wait for the trial to begin.”
“What offense are you talking about?” he responded when a journalist asked him if he thought he had committed an offense.
His companion also wanted the journalist thrown out of court for “overstepping” their coverage of Mr Kangethe.
Another man off camera told off Mr Kangethe for engaging with the journalists and he defended himself, saying he was only telling them they had taken too many photos of him.
In prior Nairobi News reports,Kang’ethe has been on the run from US authorities since October 31, 2023, when he allegedly killed Margaret Mbitu before boarding a plane to Kenya.
He left behind Mbitu’s body inside his car which was parked at the Boston Logan International Airport.
He was first arrested on January 30, 2024, in Westlands Sub-County in Nairobi and taken to Muthaiga. He then staged his break out and it is believed he was aided by his relatives.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has successfully applied to have him remanded in the Industrial Area pending the determination of his extradition case.
According to Kenyan law, any person who is in lawful custody and escapes is guilty of a misdemeanor as such no appeal shall be allowed in the case of the accused person.