Court allows detention of cop accused of killing his wife
An Eldoret court has allowed the police to detain a police constable linked to the killing of his wife to allow detectives more time to investigate the Tuesday incident.
Chief Magistrate Dennis Mikoyani directed the police to detain Constable Maxwell Maina Muigai at Eldoret Central police station for 21 days to enable the officers attached to the directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to complete investigations.
Police Constable Muigai was attached to Eldoret Railways police station.
He is said to have shot his wife Mercy Chebet twice in the chest with the firearms that he had been issued with for train escort where she succumbed to the injuries.
After allegedly committing the heinous act, Muigai went back to his workstation and continued with his duties unperturbed.
He later went to the report to the inquiry office at the Railways police station while drunk and armed. He was immediately disarmed, and arrested before being locked.
While presenting a miscellaneous application before the court, investigating officer James Barasa requested more time to detain the suspect pending the completion of the investigation into the matter.
He told the magistrate that they were yet to record crucial statements from key witnesses at the crime scene.
Barasa further said that the murder weapon is yet to be forwarded to ballistic experts at DCI headquarters in Nairobi to ascertain whether it is the same gun that was used by the suspect to shoot the deceased.
It is alleged that the police officer, who was drunk, shot his wife at their Kenya Railways police line house killing her on the spot following an altercation.
According to the suspect’s neighbors, they heard gunshots from his house and when they went to check, they found the body of his wife lying in a pool of blood.
The deceased’s body was transported to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for preservation ahead of postmortem examination.
The case will be mentioned on December 20, 2023.
