A Kenyan woman based in the US as a businesswoman has been found guilty of murdering her husband three years ago.
On Monday, Justice Jessie Lesiit found Sheila Wanjiku guilty of shooting and killing her husband, only identified as Kibinge, on April 15 2014 at Gitaru area in Kabete constituency.
The Judge noted that Wanjiku was guilty of pre-meditated murder though there was no direct evidence linking the woman to the murder since the weapon was never found but inconsistencies in her testimony incriminated her.
She claimed that on the fateful night of the incident, they had been kidnapped by thugs who later killed her husband.
According to the Star, she said in her testimony that she walked away upon hearing a blast before their car being driven by her husband crashed into a fence.
Asked if she checked on her husband after the crash, she said she did not which raised doubts on the Judge’s mind.
After the alleged incident, she never reported to police at Kikuyu Police Station which is the nearest. She, instead, hired a taxi and went to report the incident at Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Judge Lesiit found this interesting. “The accused by-passed Kikuyu police station and other nearer stations to go report the alleged kidnapping at Central…this was just an attempt to buy time so as to delay the process of investigations that she knew would follow.”
Wanjiku who had been in the US told the court she came back to Kenya to have her husbands Visa processed and return with him to the US.
Witness accounts said that she changed her clothes severally between the time of the murder and when she reported to police.
The witnesses also said that she appeared calm and collected even after the incident.
But a Taxi driver who drove her from Kikuyu to Central Police Station claimed she appeared disturbed.
He also said that he heard a click under the buibui she was wearing and he was fearful. He later reported to police in Kikuyu that he may have transported a woman carrying a bomb.
But the Wanjiku said that the clicking sound was that of the buckle of the seat belt and coins which she was counting to pay for the taxi.
However, the Judge’s assessment going by testimonies before the court cast doubt on Wanjiku’s defense on a number of issues.
In consideration to testimonies of two witnesses who live near the fence which the car crashed, Lesiit cited that there was indifference in Wanjiku’s testimony that the car veered off while she was asleep.
“The witnesses said they heard three loud blasts and there is no way the accused can feign ignorance that three gunshots were fired since she was seated right next to her husband at the time.”
He also said that witnesses who saw her leave the car said she appeared calm and collected.
“That is someone who was not affected by what had just happened …I find that the accused conduct after the shooting was the conduct of someone with a guilty mind,” said the Judge.
Her defense team has requested for time to mitigate.
