The High Court has found Eldoret policewoman Lilian Biwott guilty of murdering her husband whom she shot dead using 12 bullets in their house.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi said Biwott planned and executed the murder of her husband Victor Kipchumba with whom they had long-running marital quarrels.
Nyakundi said Biwott did not tell the court any compelling reasons or circumstances that caused her to use her gun and fire many bullets at the deceased.
The judge said the killing was a premeditated act executed with malice aforethought noting that the accused targeted vital organs on the deceased and fired 12 bullets with targeted precision to kill the deceased.
The judge said the situation of domestic violence hence claims of self-defense cannot override compelling witness and forensic evidence against the accused.
Nyakundi noted that the accused left her place of work and went to their house having adequate time to reflect on her actions.
“The subsequent concealment of evidence paints a clear picture of a premeditated act by the accused,” the judge.
He said the accused being a person who understands the law had other ways to sort out their disputes other than to use the gun.
“Now your children are orphans because of your unlawful act which could have been avoided,” the judge said.
She will be sentenced on December 16, 2024.
Biwott is accused of shooting her estranged husband in cold blood 12 times and had denied the murder charge but had been put on her defense by Justice Nyakundi.
She had explained in her defense that she lived in an abusive marriage characterised by frequent violence leading to the incident where she shot her husband dead.
Josephine Kipsei who is a teacher and mother to the officer revealed with regret that despite her frantic efforts to have her daughter move out of the toxic marriage to Victor Kipchumba, it did not succeed.
She said a family they tried hard to convince the two to separate but her son-in-law kept on returning to Biwott’s house.
“I really wanted my daughter to separate from the man because their marriage was not stable and harmonious. I thought it would safer if they lived apart,” Kipsei said.
Kipsei said her daughter had complained to her on several occasions over vicious assaults and abuses meted on her by Victor.
She said her daughter was legally married to Kipchumba who was a matatu driver plying along the Iten-Eldoret route.
“Initially they loved each other and we wished them well but things went so bad,” Kipsei said.
Kipsei told the court how she had been traversing various police stations including Iten and Eldoret where her daughter was working to mediate over their family conflict that was wrecking the marriage.
“We had several joint meetings to iron out their issues but things never worked,” she said.
She was testifying as a witness in favor of her daughter in a case where the administration police officer is accused of shooting her husband to death at their Kimumu rental house along Eldoret-Iten Highway in Uasin Gishu County.
Biwott, a mother of four children is alleged to have committed the said offence on the night of October 9, 2024, at their rental house.
She denied the murder charge.
