A man suspected of brutally murdering his girlfriend and abandoning her body at Boston’s Logan Airport before fleeing to Africa in November has been arrested in Kenya, law enforcement officials said.
Kevin Kangete, 41, was taken into custody Monday night by Kenyan authorities in cooperation with Massachusetts State Police (MSP), the Suffolk District Attorney, and the U.S. Department of State.
A suspect in the murder of Margaret Mbitu was arrested by police in Kenya last night.I am extremely grateful @StateDeptDSS, @Interpol Headquarters and the Kenyan authorities for their continued support in this matter. The extradition process has begun. https://t.co/EHGR9hK53M
— Massachusetts State Police (@MassStatePolice) January 30, 2024
MSP says: statement Kangete was wanted for the “murder of Margaret Mbitu on or about November 1, 2023,” it said.
MSP detectives say the suspect fled to Kenya shortly after killing the 31-year-old Whitman man he was in a relationship with.
Mbithu’s body was found inside the suspected killer’s car in a parking lot at Logan International Airport after her family reported her missing.
Investigators said they found an “unresponsive individual,” later identified as Mbitu, in the passenger seat, NBC Boston reported.
After MSP noted a large amount of blood stains inside the SUV and said the victim showed “obvious signs of death,” a formal report by NBC Boston’s Emergency Response Unit at 7:23 p.m. He was confirmed dead. report.
“Subsequent investigation identified Mr. Kangete, who lives in Lowell, as Mr. Mbitu’s assailant and determined that he boarded the flight to Kenya,” MSP said.
Kenyan police then tracked Kangete and U.S. authorities coordinated his arrest, which took place nearly three months later at a Nairobi nightclub.
Kangete is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing in Kenya next week, after which he will be extradited to Boston for prosecution.
Mbitu’s family issued a statement of joy following the news, thanking both U.S. and Kenyan officials for their arrest.
We are overjoyed to hear the news that the suspect in Maggie’s murder has been arrested. We have confirmed Mr. Kangete’s arrest in Kenya with law enforcement agencies and the Attorney General’s Office and are awaiting the next steps of extradition and eventual prosecution. We would like to thank our friends, law enforcement here in the United States and Kenya, and the community at large for their efforts in arresting Mr. Kangete.we are confident that truth will prevail And justice for Maggie will be served.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said after the arrest:
We are extremely grateful to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the FBI, Kenyan law enforcement, the Government of Kenya, and the Massachusetts State Police for taking into custody the person accused of the brutal murder of Margaret Mbitu.
Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio added, “We were monitoring his movements while the international coordination of the arrest warrant and arrest plan was completed.”
