Court orders girl, 12, accused of killing teen boyfriend to be detained
The suspect was arraigned at the Kibera Law Courts.
What you need to know:
- The police, who allege that the girl stabbed the boy to death, had sought a 14-day detention, saying they were yet to receive a post-mortem report to ascertain what caused the death of the Form Three student, and the suspect’s actual age and her mental status.
A girl accused of killing her 19-year-old boyfriend in Lang’ata, Nairobi, last Wednesday will be detained for five days pending a mental and age assessment report.
Kibera Magistrate Esther Boke allowed the police to detain the minor, believed to be 12 years old, at the Lang’ata Police Station to conclude investigations into the shocking death of the teenager, which occurred at 2.45pm in Southlands slum within Lang’ata.
The police, who allege that the girl stabbed the boy to death, had sought a 14-day detention, saying they were yet to receive a post-mortem report to ascertain what caused the death of the Form Three student, and the suspect’s actual age and her mental status.
In an application in court on Thursday, the police said detaining the suspect would also protect her from members of the public, who wanted to lynch her after the incident.
“The suspect was arrested by the chairman of Nyumba Kumi within the slum immediately after the death of the teenager and the deceased had two stab wounds in the left side of the chest.
“The members of the public wanted to lynch the girl, who was only rescued by her arrest by the Nyumba Kumi chairman,” Susan Moracha, the investigating officer, stated in an affidavit.
As such, she said, there is a need to protect the minor from the wrath of the public.
In her ruling, the magistrate declined to grant the 14 days requested, saying five days are enough to conclude the pending matters. She directed that the minor be separated from adult inmates while in police custody and that the investigating officer ensure her safety.
According to the police, the girl had quarrelled with the boy before she stabbed him twice in the chest using a kitchen knife.
Neighbours told the police that they heard screams from the house and, when they rushed to the scene, they found the deceased writhing in pain with blood oozing from his body. They rushed the boy to St Mary’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to the neighbours, the two had been in a relationship and the girl frequently visited the teenage boy during the day.
The police told the court that they are yet to record statements from witnesses, who claimed that the girl had confronted the boy, accusing him of cheating on her with another girl.
Lang’ata sub-county police commander Gregory Mutiso said the girl was being investigated for murder. The case will be mentioned on Monday.
