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A Kenyan man accused of killing his girlfriend and leaving her body in a car at Logan Airport pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday morning.
Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe was wanted for the death of his girlfriend, Margaret Mbitu, whose body was found in a car at the airport on October 31.
Kangethe left Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, on Sunday, after an extradition order had earlier been issued by the court in July.
According to prosecutors, Kangethe took a Lyft to meet Mbitu at her work in Halifax on October 30 around 11 p.m. He then allegedly drove back to his apartment in Lowell using his own car which he was letting Mbitu drive to work.
While driving home, prosecutors say Kangethe attacked Mbitu with a knife, stabbing her 10 times in the face and neck alone.
The DA said he left her body in the car for 30 hours - covering her with random items until he parked the car at Logan airport and took a one-way flight to Kenya.
Kangethe was arrested in a nightclub on Jan. 30 after being on the run for three months.
“For many this may feel like the end,” said Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden. “But let’s be clear. This is only the beginning of a long road to justice for Maggie Mbitu and her family and for the entire Suffolk County communities and communities that have been affected by this horrible tragedy.”
Kangethe, who has renounced his U.S. citizenship, was then 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 rearrested a week later.
Investigators say they were able to gather information on Kangethe because they recovered Mbitu’s cell phone that he tossed in Chelsea while heading to the airport.
“We think about her dreams of being a business owner, of becoming a practitioner to help care for others, and remember the hole left in our lives because Maggie was taken from us too soon,” said Joe Muhoro, a cousin of Mbitu.
“Today gives us hope and presents a step forward to justice,” said Mary Kinyariro, a cousin of Mbitu. “We will continue to fight until this coward is locked up and never see the light again or get to hurt another family and take their loved one away from them.”
Kangethe is being held without bail and his next court date is in November.
Source: Boston 25 News
