Fresh details have emerged about how a man awaiting extradition on a Massachusetts warrant alleging he killed his girlfriend and left her body in a car at the Boston airport escaped from police custody.
Kangethe managed to flee from police custody during a meeting with his lawyer, leaving authorities scrambling to apprehend him.
The escape, which occurred at a police station in Kenya, unfolded amidst a scheduled discussion between Kangethe and his legal representative, John Maina Ndegwa.
Authorities had granted Ndegwa’s request for a private conversation with Kangethe prior to his extradition hearing, a decision that ultimately facilitated Kangethe’s flight from custody.
After being escorted out of his cell to an anti-crime office for the meeting, Kangethe seized the opportunity to abscond, leaving Ndegwa behind.
Upon realizing Kangethe’s escape, officers frantically searched for him, but their efforts were in vain as Kangethe managed to board a matatu, a public minibus, and disappear towards Thika Road.
Police say they have details of the matatu and efforts to trace the crew and owner were ongoing. Nairobi police chief Adamson Bungei said a fresh search for him began immediately.
The police chief said he rushed to the station when he learned of the escape.
Kangethe, 40, had been detained pending a ruling on whether he should be extradited to face a first-degree murder charge in connection with the death of Margaret Mbitu on October 31, 2023.
Massachusetts State Police said in early November 2023 that Kangethe had left her body in a car at Logan International Airport and boarded a flight to Kenya.
Massachusetts officials said they were working with Kenyan authorities to locate him, and he was arrested in a nightclub on January 30 after being on the run for three months.
