Police Friday recovered the vehicle that was used to abduct the late Daniel Muthiani Benard alias Sniper and later dispose of his body at Mutonga River in the Chiakariga area of Tharaka Nithi.
The murder happened on December 2, 2023.
The identification and subsequent recovery of the vehicle, a silver Toyota Premio followed a thorough forensic analysis of crucial leads, which pointed to a residential place in the Canopy area of Kithoka, Meru County.
In the latest establishments, the investigating team has identified Vincent Mureithi Kirimi alias Supuu as the driver who hired the vehicle on the date of the abduction and gruesome murder of Sniper, ferrying other three occupants including Brian Mwenda, Christus Manyara Kiambi, and Boniface Kithinji Njihia alias DJ Kaboom.
Further investigations are ongoing with the Homicide team working expeditiously on the case. investigating team has identified Vincent Mureithi Kirimi alias Supuu as the driver who hired the vehicle on the date of the abduction and gruesome murder of Sniper, ferrying other three occupants including Brian Mwenda, Christus Manyara Kiambi, and Boniface Kithinji Njihia alias DJ Kaboom.
Further investigations are ongoing with the Homicide team working expeditiously on the case.
Plea-taking of two suspects in the murder of the blogger was last week deferred for a week.
This will allow the prosecution to conduct various tests on the suspects.
Supuu and Murangiri Kenneth Guantai Alias Tali who is a brother and bodyguard to Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza were arraigned before the High Court in Kiambu in connection with the murder of Sniper.
The prosecution team, however, made an application before Kiambu High Court Deputy Registrar Jackline Karani, seeking to defer the plea for seven days pending a mental assessment of the suspects.
In her ruling, the Deputy Registrar allowed the prosecution application and directed that each suspect be subjected to a psychiatrist assessment and the report tabled in court before a plea is taken.
The suspects were detained at Muthaiga Police Station until January 29 2024 when they are expected to take a plea.
DPP Mulele Ingonga ordered the two to be charged with murder.
This is after he received a police investigation file for his advice.
“Upon thorough analysis of the facts, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to sustain the charge of murder against Vincent Mureithi Kirimi alias Supuu and
Murangiri Kenneth Guantai alias Tali.”
”Consequently, the DPP has directed that Vincent Mureithi Kirimi alias Supuu and Murangiri Kenneth Guantai alias Tali be arraigned before the High Court at Kiambu for the offense of Murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code forthwith,” he said in a statement.
The sniper disappeared on December 2, 2023, before his body was recovered and dumped in a thicket on the banks of River Mutonga in Tharaka Nithi county on December 16.
The Chief Government pathologist Johansen Oduor who conducted the postmortem on December 22 said the deceased was tortured before being strangled.
He also had fractured ribs.
Police say Supuu lured the deceased through a phone call that the county boss wanted to meet him for a truce before he traveled from his home at Kabuitu in Igembe South.
According to investigators, the deceased was lured by the five suspects through a phone call alleging that Governor Mwangaza wanted to meet him.
She was however not in the office and reports say she did not meet him.
A Kibera court had directed Boniface Githinji, Brian Mwenda, and Grace Kathambi to be separately held at Gigiri police station or any other station pending investigation.
The matter shall be mentioned on January 29, 2024. Mwenda, is a bodaboda rider in Meru.
He was arrested on the outskirts of Gachanka village, Ntima East division in North Imenti.
Police from DCI on January 6 stormed and pitched a tent at the home of Governor Mwangaza in Milimani estate, cordoning it off for the better part of the day.
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