Homicide detectives have reportedly concluded that the shocking death of three people whose bodies were found at the Government Quarters on Jogoo Road was a murder-suicide.
According to the Star newspaper, police sources said the adult male victim, a Catholic priest identified as Kevin Kipkoech, first killed Charity Cheboi and her son Allan Kipngetich by suffocating them before he committed suicide hours later.
A team investigating the case revisited the crime scene on Saturday, February 27 before arriving at the conclusion.
The detectives reportedly established Kipkoech had locked himself in the toilet using a lock.
“Had there been another party in the house there is no way he or she could have locked the toilet from inside. It seems it is the deceased man who locked it to enhance his mission to die,” said one officer.
The officers are yet to establish the motive of the murder and suicide. They intend to visit St Thomas of Aquinas Seminary in Karen, Nairobi, where Kipkoech was in his eighth year and due to graduate as a Catholic priest this year, to get more information about his character.
“We don’t know if he was jinxed because he was to graduate and be a priest or there was any other issue. We intend to dig further on his character,” said another officer who sought anonymity.
This comes as Government chief pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor established Cheboi and her son were smothered to death. He said a hand or a cloth was placed on the mouth and nose of the mother and son to deny them oxygen.
The boy had injuries on the neck and mouth while the mother had superficial subcutaneous injuries on her right upper arm an indication she tried to defend herself before she died.
Dr Oduor said Kipkoech had cherry red tissues, which are found in the body of a person who has died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“The gentleman died because of carbon monoxide poisoning. I have gotten information that some jiko was found next to him,” he said.
This appears to confirm earlier reports by neighbours who said they last saw the man buying charcoal on Monday, February 22, a day before the bodies were found.
“The mother and son died earlier than the man. This is because there was advanced decomposition on the two bodies while that of the man was fairly fresh. He might have died a day after the others,” said Oduor.
Police say they are yet to establish the nature of a white substance that was found in the bedroom of the woman and her son. It is being analysed by experts.
