Man extradited back to US in killing of 31-year-old girlfriend, who was found dead at Boston airport
By Mike Snider, USA TODAY,
2024-09-03
A man who fled the U.S. after being charged in connection with the death of his girlfriend , whose body was found in her car at Boston Logan International Airport in November 2023, is in custody after being extradited from Kenya.
Kevin Kangethe, 41, of Lowell, Massachusetts, was arraigned Tuesday morning in Suffolk (Mass.) Superior Court on the charge of first-degree murder. He is being held without bail.
Prosecutors had charged Kangethe with murder in the death of Margaret Mbitu, 31, who was found stabbed to death in a vehicle in the airport parking lot on Nov. 1, 2023. Her family had reported her missing two days earlier, police said.
Police said the vehicle belonged to Kangethe and said surveillance footage showed his vehicle entering the airport parking garage on Oct. 31, 2023 and, subsequently, Kangethe walking out of the garage and entering the airport terminal area, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, court records show.
Kangethe then boarded a flight to Nairobi, Kenya; he had purchased a one-way ticket, the FBI says. The FBI sought a federal arrest warrant on Nov. 3, 2023, charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
The FBI worked with Kenyan officials to arrest and extradite Kangethe. Kenyan authorities arrested him on Jan. 29, 2024. But he escaped custody a few days later during a visit by his attorney, The Associated Press reported . Four police officers who were on duty when he escaped were disciplined.
FBI special agents and a Massachusetts State trooper assigned to FBI Boston’s Violent Crimes Task Force, escorted Kangethe from Nairobi and arrived at Logan International Airport on a flight Saturday night. The Massachusetts State Police took him into custody.
The Justice Department had been working with Kenyan officials on Kangethe's extradition since he was re-arrested, Boston CBS affiliate WBZ reported .
People check into their flights at Boston Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts on January 7, 2024. JOSEPH PREZIOSO, AFP via Getty Images
Who was Margaret Mbitu?
Mbitu was a nurse and resident of Whitman, a town about 23 miles south of Boston. She worked at Brockton Area Multi-Services Inc., a non-profit that works to empower individuals with developmental disabilities and mental and behavioral health challenges.
Kenyan prosecutors said Kangethe had Mbitu's driver's license, Bank of America debit card and a visa card in his possession, WBZ reported.
Mbitu's family thanked Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden for his office's efforts to extradite Kangethe in a statement Monday, WBZ reported .
"We are deeply grateful to the District Attorney, investigators, police and victim advocates who have supported our family and are ensuring Maggie's killer is held responsible," the family's statement said. "We will have no further comment before tomorrow's court hearing and request that the media respect our family's privacy at this difficult time." Contributing: Saman Shafiq.
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