Detectives probe love tringle angle in Deputy OCS murder-suicide
The late Mau Summit Deputy OCS SP Lourien Akorot who is suspected to have shot and killed a woman, Janet Chebet before turning the gun on himself
What you need to know:
The woman was a mother of two
The murder-suicide involving a senior police officer in Kuresoi North and his 30-year-old girlfriend could have arisen from a deadly love triangle.
The Nation has learnt that detectives are seeking to establish whether the love affair between Joseph Laurien Akorot, the deputy officer commanding the Mau Summit Police Station, and Janet Chebet could be attributed to his actions.
Kuresoi North sub-county Police Commander James Ademba said preliminary investigations showed that the officer, who had been at the station for barely three months, was involved in a romantic affair with the deceased woman at the time he died.
He said Mr Akoriot was posted to the station in May. He and Ms Jebet had an intimate relationship that in the brevity of its existence was dogged by brawls that ultimately ended in their deaths.
“We are yet to establish the reason behind the officer’s actions, though we have learnt that the two were involved in a romantic affair for some time,” said Mr Ademba.
The officer shot and killed the woman on the morning of September 5 after he escorted her to her house in Leleiyatich village, Sarambei location, Kuresoi North, before turning the gun on his head.
A source privy to the affair said Mr Akorot and Ms Chebet met at a local pub, where she worked as a bartender, and the relationship blossomed.
The source said suspicions of infidelity were at the centre of the fighting, with Mr Akorot accusing his new lover of running other affairs.
“In the short period they were together, there were numerous fights between the couple which ended up being tragic,” said the source.
Their bodies were found lying in a pool of blood on the side of a road by police officers who rushed to the scene following a report from the public.
Ms Chebet was confirmed dead upon arrival at a hospital, while Mr Akorot succumbed to his injuries at Nakuru County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The firearm used in the shooting, a Ceska pistol loaded with nine rounds of ammunition, was found lying on the ground on the officer’s left side.
The deceased woman had a nine-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son, said Vincent Koris, her uncle.
"I received the information early in the morning and rushed to the victim's home, where she lived with her children. She was hard-working, focused, competent and loved by everyone in the family," Mr Koris said.
He said the incident happened barely 100 metres from the home and called on the government to expedite investigations and get the family justice.
Ms Chebet, the third-born in a family of 10 children, was the breadwinner of the family, Mr Koris said.
