Photo: Courtesy of Massachusetts State Police
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Kevin Kangethe, a Kenyan man wanted in Massachusetts on murder charges, has been extradited back to Boston, authorities announced Monday.
Kangethe is accused of killing his girlfriend, Margaret "Maggie" Mbitu, 31, of Whitman. Mbitu's body was found in a car at Logan International Airport on Oct. 31, 2023.
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Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Kangethe on Nov. 2, charging him with murder. The next day, investigators learned Kangethe had fled to Kenya the day Mbitu's body was discovered. The FBI issued a federal arrest warrant charging Kangethe with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Kangethe was arrested in Nairobi on Jan. 29, 2024. He escaped police custody on Feb. 7 while awaiting a ruling on his extradition back to the United States, but was rearrested a week later.
According to the Kenyan Office of Public Prosecution, Kangethe left Nairobi on Sunday. The extradition order had been issued by the court in July.
Federal agents escorted Kangethe to Boston and transferred his custody to Massachusetts State Police.
He will be arraigned Tuesday morning in Suffolk Superior Court, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said.
"I am deeply grateful for all of the state, federal and Kenyan authorities who have worked so diligently to return Kevin Kangethe to Boston," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. "I am particularly grateful that Maggie Mbitu’s family and friends will finally see the man charge with her death appear in court."
"Our family has been notified by District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office that the process for bringing justice for our beloved Maggie will continue tomorrow with the arraignment of the person charged with her murder," Mbitu's family said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful to the District Attorney, investigators, police and victim advocates who have supported our family and are ensuring Maggie’s killer is held responsible. We will have no further comment before tomorrow’s court hearing and request that the media respect our family’s privacy at this difficult time."
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