Mary Wambui murder: DCI releases Joseph Kori from cell
What you need to know:
- The police said Mr Kori was picked up by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and was not returned to custody.
- The officers later returned to the station and signed that they had released the suspect, the sources told the Nation.
- The release was also confirmed by Mr Kori’s suspect, who said the suspect walked to freedom on Thursday afternoon.
Mr Joseph Kori, the husband of the late Mary Wambui, the woman murdered by a mistress in Kiambu three weeks ago, spent the night out of cell following his release on Thursday evening.
Police sources at Gigiri Police Station, who sought anonymity because they are not authorised to issue press statements on the case, on Friday told the Nation that Mr Kori walked to freedom at 9.05pm.
BURIAL
The police said Mr Kori was picked up by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and interrogated for a few minutes outside the cell but was not returned to custody.
The officers later returned to the station and signed that they had released the suspect, the sources told the Nation.
The release was also confirmed by Mr Kori’s relative, who said the suspect walked to freedom on Thursday.
According to police sources, Mr Kori was set free after investigations by DCI homicide detectives failed to reveal that he played a part in the murder.
Wambui’s relatives on Friday told the Nation that they have been waiting for their son-in-law to be released so that he could bury his wife.
“After initial investigations showed that Kori was not in any way involved in the murder of his wife, we as a family decided to wait so that he can bury his wife at his home in Mweiga, Nyeri County,” said Ms Esther Kamangara, Wambui’s sister.
On February 13, a Kiambu court allowed the DCI to hold Mr Kori, taxi driver Michael Mathenge and the mistress, Ms Judy Wangui, for 14 more days as detectives investigated the case.
They were set to return to the dock on February 27.
But days earlier, detectives from Juja Police Station had exonerated Mr Kori from his wife’s murder, saying from their investigations, there is no way that the businessman could have been involved.
CHILDREN
The detectives said Mr Kori’s cell phone data and details of a car tracking device in his Toyota Lexus indicated that on December 26, 2018, the day Wambui was lured to her death trap at Ms Wangui’s residence, he was in Ngong, Kajiado.
He left Ngong at 9pm, the investigations showed.
However, homicide officers maintained that they were pursuing other leads, which could link him to the crime.
Consequently, DCI boss George Kinoti appointed Inspector John Wahome to lead the investigations, saying that there were “some unexplored” areas that needed the input of experts— including those from the cybercrime unit, ballistics unit, photography and the government chemist.
Mr Kori, had initially asked the court to release him on bond, arguing that investigations carried out so far had shown that he was not involved in the incident.
“There is nothing that links him to (Wambui’s murder),” his lawyer said, adding that Mr Kori needed to be free so that he can take care of his children and also bury his wife.
Sources told the Nation the homicide detectives seem to have been convinced by Mr Kori's arguments before setting him free.
His release leave his mistress, Ms Wangui, and Mr Mathenge, the taxi driver, in police remand.
Report by Stella Cherono, Eric Wainaina, Millicent Mwololo and Nyaboga Kiage.
