Suspect Caught After Escape From Custody

(RepublicanPress.org) – On January 31, CBS News reported that suspected killer, Kevin Kangethe, was arrested in Kenya, Africa, for the murder of Maggie Mbitu at Boston’s Logan Airport in November 2023. The victim’s parents were “overjoyed” about the news he’d been caught. While awaiting extradition to the US, Kangethe escaped custody, went on the run, and a manhunt began.

On February 14, ABC News reported that Kenyan officials confirmed they had recaptured the suspect the previous day. Police also picked up two people suspected of helping the fugitive escape. According to the BBC, Nairobi police chief Adamson Bungei said police captured Kangethe in Ngong, outside of Nairobi, less than a week into the search. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reportedly called the hunt for the suspect a “scrupulous intelligence-led operation.” Kangethe is now in custody in Nairobi under heavy security.

The suspect accused of killing his girlfriend at Boston's Logan International Airport and fleeing to Kenya was recaptured Tuesday after he escaped custody a week ago, police said. https://t.co/uYBziBPdT1

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 14, 2024

Although reports didn’t detail how police believe the two people arrested helped the suspect escape, the Associated Press said Kangethe snuck out of the police station and into a minivan. John Maina Ndegwa, who said he was the suspect’s lawyer, asked to speak with him, and the officers agreed. Kangethe was removed from his cell and put in an office. That’s when he escaped. Bungei called the incident “embarrassing” for the police department, according to AP.

The suspect is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly stabbing Mbitu to death and leaving her in a car at the airport. Investigators say Kangethe got on a plane to Kenya after the killing. Upon his capture, the suspect’s extradition to Boston was set for the end of February — at the earliest. It’s unclear if that timeline will still hold and when he will be in US custody.

Chief of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Amin Mohammed Ibrahim, said authorities were still trying to piece together how the suspect escaped and everyone who helped. This is the second time his capture required a manhunt. The first one lasted three months, and this one went on for five days.