Woman held for allegedly killing lover over text message
John Kariuki Kiarie, 19, who died following injuries allegedly inflicted on him by his lover at at Gatura shopping centre in Gatanga, Murang'a County. Police are holding the suspect. PHOTO | NDUNG'U GACHANE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The suspect is accused of fatally hitting her boyfriend, John Kariuki Kiarie, at Gatura shopping centre.
- According to the man’s father Paul Kiarie, his son succumbed to injuries at Kenyatta National Hospital on Saturday.
- He said before he died, the victim disclosed that they had an argument with his lover over a love text message.
An 18-year-old woman, Tabitha Wanjiru, has been arraigned in a Kigumo court in Murang’a County after allegedly murdering her 19-year-old lover over a text message.
The suspect is accused that on Wednesday last week, she visited her boyfriend, John Kariuki Kiarie, at Gatura shopping centre where he lived in a rental house and killed him using a jembe handle after she saw a text message from another woman that implied they had an affair.
But the suspect who appeared before Senior Magistrate Agnes Mwangi did not take plea after the investigating officer sought for more days to conclude investigations.
MURDER CHARGES
A police officer who sought anonymity told the Nation that they will prefer murder charges against the woman for killing her boyfriend.
“Investigations are at an advanced stage and we will charge the woman with murder,” the officer said, adding that the man did not die on the spot.
According to the man’s father Paul Kiarie, his son succumbed to injuries at Kenyatta National Hospital on Saturday.
He said before he died, the victim disclosed that they had an argument with his lover over a love text message she saw on his phone from another woman.
She allegedly waited for him to sleep and took a stick from his house and started beating him.
SERIOUS INJURIES
“I received the news that my son was wriggling in pain and when I arrived he had serious injuries around the neck and the face and we took him to Kenyatta National Hospital where he later passed on,” Mr Kiarie told the Nation.
He admitted that he was aware that his son and the suspect were in a relationship for two months since he went to Gatura where he worked at a phone repair shop while the suspect was doing computer studies.
Both completed their secondary school education last year and the dead man was expected to join Chuka University for an engineering course.
“I’m at a loss; my second born son was very bright and we had a lot of hope in him. I just hope we shall get justice,” the stressful father said.
The victim hailed from Ndunyu Chege village while the suspect is from Chomo village, both in Gatanga Constituency.
