LOWELL — A 40-year-old man from Lowell was arrested in Kenya on charges of killing a woman from Whitman, Massachusetts officials announced Monday.
Kevin Kangethe, the suspect in the death of 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu, was apprehended nearly three months after her body was discovered in a car at Logan International Airport’s Central Parking Garage.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office stated that the investigation began on Nov. 1, when state troopers found Mbitu dead.
Kangethe, who had been in a relationship with Mbitu, fled to Kenya shortly after her death, according to state police.
His arrest at a Nairobi nightclub was the result of a collaborative effort between Massachusetts State Police, the U.S.
State Department, Interpol, and Kenyan authorities.
State Police lauded the international cooperation that led to Kangethe’s capture and his pending extradition to Boston to face charges for the alleged murder.
Mbitu, a nurse from Halifax, was remembered by her family as a “lovely, soft-spoken, beautiful, happy, go-lucky kind of girl.” Her relatives expressed relief and a sense of justice following the news of Kangethe’s arrest.
The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi acknowledged the collaborative efforts of Kenyan and U.S. law enforcement in the case, noting the commitment between the two countries to strengthen cooperation in eliminating criminal activities and advancing justice.
Kangethe is now awaiting a preliminary court hearing in Kenya, which is expected to take place in the next few days as the extradition process to the U.S. begins.
