Crime
ENVIRONMENT – Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe is escorted out of the courtroom at the Milimani Law Court in Nairobi, Kenya on February 14, 2024. AP Photo/Brian Inganga, File
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan man wanted in Massachusetts on murder charges has been extradited nearly a year after he fled the United States, authorities said Monday.
Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe is wanted for killing his girlfriendMargaret Mbitu, whose body was found in a car at Logan International Airport in Boston on October 31.
Kangethe left Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, on Sunday and will be charged with murder at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston on Tuesday, Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga said.
“I want to reiterate my commitment and support, whenever needed, to the United States of America, and in particular the prosecution team as they proceed with the next phase of the case,” Ingonga said on Monday.
The prosecutor said the extradition order was previously issued by the court in July.
Kangethe, who has renounced his US citizenship, was involved in a dramatic escape from a police cell after his Kenyan lawyer visited him in January. Disciplinary action was taken against four police officers who were on duty when he escaped. He was re-arrested a week later and his extradition case continued.
Kangethe’s girlfriend Mbitu was a health care assistant in Halifax, Massachusetts, and was last seen leaving work on October 30 and reported missing by her family.
The preliminary investigation showed that Mbitu had left his workplace and traveled with Kangethe to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he lived, the Kenyan prosecutor’s office said during the extradition hearing.
Kangethe was also found in possession of personal items belonging to the deceased, the prosecutor said.