Police in Meru to hold wife of murdered businessman

Bridget Gacheri wife of murdered Meru businessman Joel Kaberia alongside Frida Mwari and Irene Kagwiria in a Meru court. [Darlington Manyara, Standard]

Detectives in Meru have been allowed by a court to hold the wife of a murdered businessman for 14 more days as they piece information surrounding last week's murder.

An officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Benson Sindani convinced Meru Principal Magistrate Monica Maroro to grant police more time to conclude investigations before charging the suspects.

Following the court ruling, police will hold Bridget Gacheri, 22, who is accused of conspiring to kill her husband Joel Kaberia, 45, alongside other suspects Frida Mwari and Irene Kagwiria.

The three was arrested on Saturday.

Maroro ordered that the suspects be detained at Meru Police Station until July 15 when the matter will be mentioned to confirm the status of the investigations.

Kaberia lived in Gitimbine in a rental house with his wife and their two-year-old child.

According to the details in the Occurrence Book (OB) at the Meru Police Station, Kaberia was first reported missing, but later found brutally murdered in his rental house.

Imenti North head of DCI James Githinji told The Standard that the man's wife and some other people had on Saturday morning reported the matter of her missing husband before the body was later discovered in their house.

The body parts of Kaberia, a butcher who operates in Meru town, were discovered in a gunny bag at his house.

Githinji yesterday said that police picked Gacheri as the first suspect, but were still pursuing more suspects over the murder.

He added that they suspect Kaberia was first killed before his body was chopped into pieces which police recovered alongside a hack saw.

“We pleaded with court for more time because we want to have a water-tight case. We arrested the wife as the first suspect, but we are still looking for other suspects who are at large. We believe the murder was not executed by a lone killer,” Githinji said.

Elsewhere, a woman charged with the murder of her husband will remain in custody until July 31 when her application for bail will be determined, the court has ordered.

Ladia Wakuthii Mbogo who was arrested on May 25 over the death of her husband Francis Mbogo Ndambiri, had applied to be released on bond pending the hearing and determination of the case.

Through her lawyer Kimani Njuguna, the accused told the court there was no way she could interfere with any of the witnesses.

Njuguna submitted some of the witnesses in the matter were employees of the accused who have remained as her workers even after the murder on August 21, last year.