• He was arraigned before the Suffolk Superior Court in Pemberton Square, Boston, on September 3, 2024.
• "The matter was set for a pre-trial date before the Homicide section on 5th November 2024 at 2pm."
Image: Massachusetts State Police
A Boston Court has denied murder suspect Kevin Kang'ethe bail or bond terms after he was extradited to the United States of America, on Sunday.
In an update by the Director of Public Prosecution's office, this was after pleading not guilty to the murder of Margaret Mbitu.
He was arraigned before the Suffolk Superior Court in Pemberton Square, Boston, on September 3, 2024.
"The court ruled he will be held without bail, without prejudice.
"The matter was set for a pre-trial date before the Homicide section on 5th November 2024 at 2pm," the ODPP said.
Kang'ethe's prosecution is led by Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee.
Kang'ethe was extradited to the USA from Nairobi on September 1, 2024, after a successful process by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga.
The suspect returned to Kenya last year after he allegedly killed Margaret Mbitu.
He got arrested in Nairobi before he escaped and got re-arrested.
On July 31, a Nairobi court ordered the extradition of Kang'ethe to face trial in the USA over the alleged murder of Mbitu.
Milimani chief magistrate Lucas Onyina in his ruling found that the alleged offence of murder to which the Extradition Request and the Authority to Proceed relate met the list test.
The court further said the material laid before it established a link between Kang'ethe and the alleged offence of first-degree murder, and the court, not being a trial court, was not mandated to conduct a trial to determine his guilt or otherwise.
"That will be the mandate of the trial court, not this court handling these extradition proceedings," Onyina said.
The ruling said there were established reasons to justify the surrender of the respondent to the United States to face trial for the offence of first-degree murder in violation of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 265, section 1.