Months after a beloved Massachusetts nurse was found dead inside a car in the parking garage of Boston’s Logan International Airport, authorities have arrested the man accused of her murder.
The Massachusetts State Police reported that Kevin Kangethe, a Boston-area man wanted for the murder of 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu, was arrested by authorities in Kenya on Monday night at a nightclub in Nairobi.
Kangethe fled to Kenya in November shortly after allegedly killing Mbitu, with whom he was in a relationship, according to a news release from police.
“Ms. Mbitu’s body was located in a parked car in the Central Parking garage at Logan International Airport on the evening of November 1, 2023,” the release read, adding that the victim was reported missing by her family before the discovery of her body.
As ESSENCE previously reported, Mbitu was discovered dead in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, with a puncture wound to her side and slash and stab wounds to her face and neck.
Authorities alleged that Kangethe, who lived in the Boston area, purchased a plane ticket to Kenya the morning before Mbitu’s body was discovered. Surveillance footage shows him exiting the parking garage, entering the airport terminal, and checking in for a trip.
Investigators worked with the State Department Diplomatic Security Service, Interpol, and Kenyan authorities to locate Kangethe in Kenya after he was identified as the murder suspect.
According to the news release from police, a preliminary court hearing is expected to be held in Kenya within a few days, and the process to extradite him to Boston for prosecution has begun.
In a written statement shared with local news outlet Boston 25, Mbitu’s family said, “We are overjoyed by the news of the capture of Maggie’s murder suspect. The long hand of the law is finally catching up with Maggie’s murder suspect. We have confirmed with law enforcement and the DA of the arrest of Mr. Kangethe in Kenya and are waiting on the next step of extradition and eventual prosecution.”
“We want to thank our friends, law enforcement here in the US and in Kenya, and the community at large for the efforts in the capture of Mr. Kangethe. We are confident that the truth will prevail and that justice for Maggie will be achieved,” they added.