Police on the spot for absolving former TV presenter Louis Otieno of murder

The police have been put to task for declaring that former TV news anchor Louis Otieno is not a suspect in the murder of Careen Chepchumba.

Mr Otieno has repeatedly pleaded his innocence in the killing of the enya Power employee whose body was found in her apartment in Nairobi’s Kilimani area four years ago.

The victim’s father however claims that the journalist extorted money from his daughter to finance his flashy lifestyle.

On Wednesday, a court wondered how the police reached the conclusion that Mr Otieno was not involved in the murder before receiving three crucial reports.

An investigator in the case, Senior Sergeant Maobe, told an inquest into the murder of Careen that they forwarded the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions because they did not link Otieno to the February 14, 2012 murder.

But the magistrate asked him what made the police decide there was no suspect in the murder.

NAIL CLIPPING

“What made you to conclude that there was no suspect in the murder,” Charles Ondieki, the magistrate posed.

Mr Maobe replied that evidence gathered from witnesses could not link a suspect with the death of Careen. He further submitted that by the time the decision to forward the case to the DPP was made, he had not received a report from the cyber-crime unit on a laptop and mobile phones retrieved from Careen’s apartment.

A government analyst’s report of samples taken from Mr Otieno’s body and that of the deceased was prepared last year though the samples were forwarded in 2012.

Ms Ann Wangechi Nderitu, from the government chemist, said the report revealed nail clipping purported to be from Otieno’s body were actually from Careen.

“The nail samples marked as that of the suspect marched those marked as of the deceased,”  Ms Nderitu testified.

She attributed the delay in preparing the report to under staffing and lack of chemicals in the government chemist.

STRANGLED

Blood samples taken from Careen’s bed were also tested and did not match those taken from Mr Otieno, she stated.

Mr Maobe said even though an autopsy report indicated that Ms Careen was strangled, police did not get evidence that could nail a suspect. He, however, told the inquest that Mr Otieno was a regular visitor to Ms Careen’s apartment.

He was also taken to task after he told the inquest that he did not bother to confirm Mr Otieno’s claims that he was in Kajiado the day Careen was killed.

It also emerged that the apartment was not secured after the deceased’s body was taken to the mortuary.

Mr Maobe, who took over the investigations from his colleague three days after the body was discovered, told the inquest that he was taken to the scene by Careen’s brother who had the key to her sister’s apartment.

The inquest will resume on January 24.

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