Form three girl charged with murder of 20-year-old boyfriend

A form three girl aged 17 has been charged with murder after she allegedly stabbed her boyfriend to death.

The teenager who appeared before Justice Fred Ochieng today faced murder charges almost a month after she was held for the offense.

According to earlier police reports, the teenager was alleged to have stabbed her boyfriend under unclear circumstances.

“It is not clear what made the girl to stab Julius Odiwuor aged 20 at Polo area in Nyakach Sub-County,” police reports stated.

The girl, according to earlier reports went out to search for Odiwuor after she received word that the man insulted her.

She is said to have grabbed a kitchen knife when she went to look for him.

Odiwuor who is son to a senior police officer in Lamu was rushed to St. Joseph Nyabondo Mission Hospital and later referred to Kericho Referral Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment.

Anyango was arraigned two days later at Nyando Law Courts before Senior Principal Magistrate Samson Temu.

A DCI Officer, David Karanja, requested for more time to conduct and conclude investigations in order to get all the facts surrounding the murder.

"I have not completed investigations and I'm currently waiting for postmortem results of the deceased," said Karanja.

He added that tension was high at the accused’s home in Nyakach at it would not be safe for her and that it would be good if they kept the girl in custody for 14 days.

Mr. Temu granted the DCI Officer 14 days to complete investigations before she could be arraigned.

During her arraignment, the girl told court that Odhiambo was her boyfriend.

"We are friends who had started dating," she told the magistrate who asked her about her relationship with the deceased.

On September 23 when the teenager was arraigned at Kisumu High Court, the prosecution counsel, Varoline Lubanga asked that the minor be taken for an age assessment and a counsel that would represent her in the case be appointed.

She also asked that the minor be taken for a mental assessment and that she be remanded at a children's remand home.

The court ordered that she be taken for COVID-19 test that would be facilitated by Pap Onditi OCS on the same day before being taken to a children's home.

On Thursday, while appearing before Justice Fred Ochieng, the teenager was charged with murder of Odiwuor.

The charge sheet read that the teenager unlawfully killed Odiwuor on September 7, 2020 at Apoko market center in Nyakach Sub-County within Kisumu County.

She denied the charges that were read to her.

Her advocate pleaded for favorable bond terms considering that she was a minor.

However, the prosecution counsel opposed her release on bond.

Despite the opposition by the prosecution counsel, the court granted the minor a personal bond of Sh300, 000 with a surety.

Eight witnesses have been lined up for the prosecution of the case.

The case will be mentioned on October 29.