NAKURU – A 23-year-old man suspected of the brutal killing and beheading of his 18-year-old girlfriend in Molo has been arrested after detectives tracked him down to a hideout in Kuresoi North.
Walter Kipkoech was arrested in Lagwenda village by detectives from Molo working with officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) at the Rift Valley Regional Criminal Investigations Headquarters.
His arrest brings to an end a weeks-long manhunt launched after the shocking death of Joy Wangui, a Form Four student at Molo Secondary School.
Wangui’s body was discovered inside her family’s house in the Kiambaa area of Moto Location after her brother briefly left for a nearby shop.
When he returned, he was confronted by a horrifying scene. The teenager was lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, with her head severed from her body.
Detectives who processed the scene recovered an axe, a panga and two knives, all bearing bloodstains, as they began piecing together the circumstances surrounding the killing.
The victim’s severed head was subsequently found in a corridor inside the house. Investigators also reported discovering a chilling message allegedly written on a wall using blood: “I love you Joy but never cheat, am sorry.”
The message has become a key element of the investigation as detectives examine a possible relationship dispute as the motive for the killing.
According to preliminary investigations cited by the DCI, Kipkoech was Wangui’s boyfriend and allegedly fled immediately after the killing.
Detectives eventually traced him to the Lagwenda hideout, where he was arrested.
Police said Kipkoech was wearing a blood-stained boxer at the time of his arrest. He also had on a white T-shirt bearing Wangui’s name at the hem and black jeans with visible dry blood stains.
The suspect was taken to Molo Police Station, where he is being processed as detectives continue investigating the circumstances surrounding Wangui’s death.
The case has drawn widespread attention because of the exceptionally violent circumstances of the killing and the alleged message left at the scene.
The DCI has said investigations will continue as detectives piece together what happened before, during and after the teenager’s death.
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