NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan man wanted in Massachusetts to face murder charges has been extradited, nearly a year after he fled the United States, authorities said Monday.
Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kangethe is wanted for the murder of his girlfriend Margaret Mbitu, whose body was found in a car at Logan International Airport in Boston on October 31.
Kangethe left the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Sunday and will appear in court in Suffolk, Boston on charges of murder on Tuesday, said Renson Ingonga, Kenya's director of public prosecutions.
“I want to reiterate my commitment and support, where appropriate, to the United States of America and in particular the prosecution team as they move forward with the next phase of the case,” Ingonga said on Monday.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the extradition order had already been issued by the court in July.
Kangethe, who has renounced his US citizenship, was 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 and his extradition case continued.
Kangethe's girlfriend, Mbitu, was a health care worker in Halifax, Massachusetts, and was last seen leaving work on October 30. Her family reported her missing.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Mbitu had left her workplace and traveled with Kangethe to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he lived, the Kenyan prosecutor said during the extradition hearing.
Prosecutors said Kangethe was also found in possession of the deceased's personal belongings.
