A man accused of killing his girlfriend in Boston and fleeing to Kenya has been extradited back to the United States. Kevin Kangethe, 42, is facing charges for the murder of nurse Margaret “Maggie” Mbitu, whose body was discovered in a parked car at Boston’s Logan International Airport last November, two days after she was reported missing.
After fleeing the country, Kangethe was arrested at a nightclub in Nairobi, Kenya, in January. However, he managed to escape from jail shortly after his arrest, sparking a manhunt that lasted for a week before he was recaptured in Nairobi in early February.
Kenya, which has an extradition treaty with the United States, facilitated Kangethe's extradition back to the U.S. He is expected to face a murder charge at Suffolk Superior Court on Tuesday.
Mbitu, 31, was a nurse from Whitman, a Boston suburb, and came from a family of healthcare workers. Her disappearance in late October prompted a search that led investigators to Kangethe, her boyfriend at the time, who became a suspect in her murder.
Police found Mbitu's body with slash wounds in Kangethe's Toyota SUV at the airport parking garage. Surveillance footage showed Kangethe boarding a flight to Kenya the day before her body was discovered.
After being on the run for months, Kangethe was first arrested in Kenya after a tip-off at a nightclub. He then escaped from custody but was apprehended again with the help of another tip that led authorities to his location at a relative's house in Nairobi.
The District Attorney of Suffolk County in suburban Boston expressed gratitude to various agencies for their efforts in facilitating Kangethe's arrest and extradition, emphasizing the importance of justice for Mbitu's family and friends.
