Naftali Kinuthia has been found guilty of the murder of Ivy Wangeci, a medical student at Moi University who was brutally attacked outside the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in 2019.
Justice Reuben Githinji, sitting at the High Court in Eldoret, said he was satisfied the prosecution had proved its case, and that the suspect stood convicted.
The judge dismissed Kinuthia’s defense, in which he argued he was provoked after Ivy ended their romantic relationship and pursued another man.
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The judge noted that despite Kinuthia’s claims of an intimate relationship, there was no evidence supporting such a connection.
“Even text messages reviewed did not prove evidence of an intimate relationship and the the accused did not also prove a sexual relationship with the deceased,” Justice Githinji said.
The judge observed that Naftali used a lethal weapon, specifically an axe, and struck the victim multiple times, leaving her with no chance of survival.
“If he did not want to kill her he would have used bare fists on her and not the axe,” the judge added.
The judge scheduled November 22 for the mitigation and sentencing phase in the case against Kinuthia.
