Police ask to repair suspect's phone in Irene Jepchumba murder case

Godfrey Kipkemoi, who is charged with the murder of former Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology lecturer Irene Jepchumba, when he appeared in a Nakuru court on February 20, 2019. PHOTO | JOHN NJOROGE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Police want the phone belonging to Mr Godfrey Kipkemoi Kangogo, the main suspect in the murder of the former lecturer Irene Jepchumba Boit, repaired for investigations.

  • Police claimed that Mr Kangogo's mobile phone which was taken to the cybercrime unit in Nairobi for forensic examination was damaged as it could not power on.

Police are seeking to have a faulty mobile phone belonging to a suspect in the murder of former Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology lecturer repaired to enable extraction of data.

In the application dated January 29, police want the phone belonging to Mr Godfrey Kipkemoi Kangogo, the main suspect in the murder of the former lecturer Irene Jepchumba Boit, repaired for investigations.

Police claimed that Mr Kangogo's mobile phone which was taken to the cybercrime unit in Nairobi for forensic examination was damaged as it could not power on.

The court heard that the forensic examiner only managed to extract an SD card and retrieved some of the photos he took on the date the woman was allegedly killed.

INTENTIONAL DAMAGE

According to the police, only the deceased's phone could be accessed where some photographs were retrieved as well as WhatsApp and text messages which Mr Kangogo had sent to her.

"We, therefore, seek court order to allow us repair the mobile phone Techno Spark K9 of the accused person which he said fell in Molo River’s Choka Falls while trying to rescue the deceased after she allegedly slipped," read part of the application

The police said they suspect that the accused person had intentionally damaged the phone knowing that there was vital information that could form part of the evidence.

The mobile phone was confiscated on July 11 last year.

MURDER CASE

The suspect, however, through his lawyer David Mongeri said he had not been served with the application.

Justice Ngugi directed the state to serve him with the documents before the case is mentioned on March 27.

Jepchumba's body was retrieved from Molo River few meters from Choka Falls in Rongai Sub-County on July 6, 2018.

Mr Kangogo, who was with the lecturer on the fateful day, claimed she slipped and fell to her death.

He was later arrested in Kiamunyi and charged in connection with the murder.

The court released him on Sh500,000 bond.