Joseph Irungu, alias ‘Jowie’ who was found guilty for the murder of Kenyan businesswoman Monica Kimani will know his fate today.
The High Court is expected to impose its sentence, however, before this, Jowie will be given an opportunity to mitigate, the purpose being to encourage the judge to be lenient in the sentencing.
Jowie was convicted over the murder last month in a ruling delivered by Lady Justice Grace Nzioka ,while his co-accused Jacque Maribe was let off the hook. The two were jointly facing the murder charges.
The judge stated that the injuries on Monica’s body indicated premeditation. Testimonies from police officers suggested that the perpetrator was not inexperienced but rather someone with military training.
“I find that the target of the neck indicates perpetrators were fully aware, intended to and target for purposes of instant death,” the judge said.
Maribe on the other hand was acquitted based on the prosecutions failure to place her at the scene of the crime. The judge said they did not adduce sufficient evidence to incriminate Maribe adding that “It is my considered view that the charge brought against the second accused person (Jacque Maribe) was not the proper charge.”
The judge however pointed out that Maribe had provided inconsistent information during her earlier statements regarding how Jowie sustained a gunshot wound. This action was described as providing misleading information to a public servant.
In this regard, the judge noted that it is upon the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to decide on what action to take.
