NAIROBI, Kenya — A Lowell man accused of killing his girlfriend in Massachusetts has escaped from police custody in Kenya.
40-year-old Kevin Kangethe is awaiting extradition after allegedly killing 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu from Whitman and leaving her body in a car at Logan airport before boarding a plane to Kenya.
While in custody in Kenya, a man saying he was Kangethe’s attorney asked to speak to him. Kangethe then ran out of the police station and jumped into a privately owned minivan, police say.
Four police officers who were on duty are now in custody, according to the Associated Press. A new search for Kangethe is now underway.
“We have been informed by federal officials that Kevin Kangethe has escaped from police custody in Kenya,” said Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden. “It is our hope that Kenyan law enforcement will do their utmost to recapture Kangethe so that we can continue seeking justice for Margaret Mbitu and her family,” Hayden added.
Kangethe was arrested on January 30 and faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of Mbitu on Oct. 31, 2023.
Troopers responding to a report of a dead woman in a car at the airport’s Central Parking garage around 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, 2023, identified the victim as Mbitu, who had been reported missing by her family two days earlier, according to Massachusetts State Police.
“We are deeply troubled and disappointed by the news of the escape from custody of Kevin Kangethe, the sole suspect in the murder of Maggie, our beloved daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and friend. Justice has once again been delayed,” the Mbitu Family said in a statement “Maggie’s family and friends have been robbed of another chance to get justice sooner Maggie. We feel betrayed and once again are thrown into disarray and our hearts ache the loss of Maggie.”
In an emotional press conference on Thursday night, members of the Mbitu family say that Maggie had a “golden heart.”
“We are frustrated, we are mad, we are sad, we are depressed,” her uncle said. “They didn’t hold [Kangethe] accountable...we thought the wheels of justice were rolling, but they’re only crushing us.”
The family says they are angry at the “gross negligence” of the Kenyan authorities and are questioning how Kangethe was able to escape in the first place.
“We have all these questions, but no answers,” another member of the family said. “We don’t even know what to say or who to go to.”
The pain of losing their beloved Maggie is still ripe in their minds.
Whitman police said that Mbitu was last seen leaving work in Halifax around 11 p.m. on Monday. At some point after that, investigators believe she was murdered.
Kangethe boarded a flight to Kenya after ditching Mbitu’s body at Central Parking, investigators said. A warrant charging Kangethe in Mbitu’s death was later obtained by state police.
“Kevin and his accomplices are calculated criminals. Kevin can run but he cannot hide and we trust that the long arm of the law will reach him whenever he is and that justice will prevail. We are thankful for family, the community, the media, the Kenyan law enforcement, the DA, and those working tirelessly behind the scenes to get us the justice our dear Maggie deserves.” the statement added.
But justice now seems further away after the man accused of her murder escaped custody in Kenya.
“We don’t know what to do, we thought the wheels of justice are rolling but somehow they’re rolling, crushing us,” said Joel Muhoro, one of Maggie’s cousins.
Maggie’s family said there is no moving on without a chance to grieve and have closure, which they say they can’t do until Kangethe is brought to justice.
Family member Mary Kinyariro said, “We are very, very angry at the gross negligence of the people in authority. This person was a fugitive ha shouldn’t have, just been able to sit there with a lawyer, whatever the situation was, he should have been somebody’s supervision. He should have been in his shackles because he is a murderer.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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