Man found guilty of killing estranged wife

A 34-year-old farmhand accused of hacking his estranged wife to death has been found guilty of murder by High Court in Nyeri.

The judge found that Mr Daniel Oyondi Moi had intention to kill Ms Regina Kinya on April 29, 2017 at Mweiga town for turning down his love advances.

The court heard that Mr Moi had stalked Ms Kinya before hacking her to death with a machete outside Mweiga Police Station.

DEFENCE

Mr Moi pleaded with the court to hand him a lenient sentence, saying he was remorseful, comes from a humble background and he was at his prime age.

He said he was provoked after ringing the deceased severally and the phone call was answered by an unidentified man.

The court noted that before separation, the couple’s relationship was troubled as it was marred by regular confrontations.

“She (the deceased) had another friend named Ndirangu. The accused was calling Reginah and the phone was picked by a man. He questioned why Reginah was doing that to him. He had gone to her home and attempted to burn it,” said Justice Teresia Matheka.

Mr Moi first chopped off the woman's left hand before starting to cut her on the head. He later surrendered to the police to escape the wrath of an irate mob that was baying for his blood.

The deceased was rushed to the nearby Mary Immaculate Hospital where she succumbed to the injuries.

In his defence, Mr Moi admitted that their love affair had troubles and had separated for a year before the incident. He told the court that he met the deceased in pub and the deceased’s relatives had attempted to reconcile them.

DENY

While denying killing the deceased, Mr Moi said on the material day he had gone to Mweiga town to purchase his employer’s dog feed.

He also denied surrendering to police and claimed that he was arrested behind a public toilet in the town while smoking cigarette and taking a second-generation beer.

But the court termed the defence as an afterthought adding that the prosecution’s evidence by the eye witnesses was never displaced.

“The accused was at the scene of the crime, he killed and had the intention. The offence of murder is proved,” stated Justice Matheka.

After the ruling, Mr Moi pleaded with the court to hand him a lenient sentence saying he was remorseful, comes from a humble background and that he was at his prime age.

The court is scheduled to sentence him on June 3, 2019.

A social inquiry report on the accused person, revealed that he hails from Ebushirikha village in Khwisero Sub-county and since 2013 to the date he committed the criminal offence he was a farm hand for one Mr Samuel Muhoro.

Both his parents are deceased and his other wife had left him.