Noordin Haji okays murder charges against Maribe, 'Jowie' Irungu
What you need to know:
- By excluding Mr Brian Kassaine, the other suspect in police custody over Ms Kimani’s September 19 murder, it means he will be a State witness in the case against the couple.
Television journalist Jacque Maribe will face murder charges alongside her fiancé Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie, in the death of businesswoman Monica Kimani in Nairobi last month.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji said he has sanctioned murder charges against the duo after reviewing the evidence gathered by detectives so far.
“I am satisfied that there exists a prima facie case to warrant criminal prosecution,” Mr Haji stated. “I have therefore directed that they be immediately arraigned before the High Court and charged accordingly.”
By excluding Mr Brian Kassaine, the other suspect in police custody over Ms Kimani’s September 19 murder, it means he will be a State witness in the case against the couple.
Mr Joseph Irungu, a suspect in the murder of Ms Monica Kimani, is arraigned in Kiambu on September 26, 2018. DPP Noordin Haji has okayed murder charges against him and his fiancée Jacque Maribe. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Ms Kimani, 28, a South Sudan-based businesswoman, was killed in her Lamuria Gardens apartment, off Dennis Pritt Road, in Nairobi. She had been tied up, her mouth taped shut and her throat cut by what police have described as a “highly trained assassin”.
Mr Irungu, a bodyguard who has worked for private security companies in the Gulf and Afghanistan, was arrested on September 24. On Monday, he was taken for a psychiatric assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
The late Monica Kimani. She was brutally murdered in her home in Nairobi. PHOTO | COURTESY
On Friday last week, detectives collected DNA samples from Ms Maribe as they sought to determine the nature of charges she would likely face. The samples were collected from Ms Maribe at the Gigiri police station, where she is being held.
When Mr Irungu was arrested, he told the police that a gunshot wound on his chest was inflicted by gunmen who attacked him outside Ms Maribe' house in Lang'ata, but the Citizen TV journalist later admitted to admitted to detectives that her fiancé shot himself in her house in an incident investigators believed at first was a suicide attempt.
Brian Kassaine at the Kiambu Law Courts on October 1, 2018 when he appeared before Kiambu Principal Magistrate Justus Kituku. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Mr Irungu later claimed in a police statement that he had been shot by three thugs after dropping off Ms Maribe at her house. Police have since questioned the narrative.
Ms Maribe and Mr Irungu are set to be arraigned on Tuesday and charged with murder.
