A Kabarnet court has allowed police to detain a suspect for 14 days as they investigate his involvement in the murder of his lover in Baringo.
Tyson Serenoi appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate (SPM) Purity Koskei on Monday for the offence he allegedly committed on June 26 this year at around 10 pm in Konoo village, Barwessa Ward, Baringo West Sub-County.
The suspect was reported by a neighbour after the body of one Pensive Somalong was found lying in a pool of blood with deep cuts on the back of the head and the right hand chopped off at the wrist.
The court heard that police from Kabartonjo visited the scene and found the body which was then taken to Baringo County Referral Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy.
Initial reports indicate that the deceased, who had sired a child with the suspect, had come back after some time away from home for studies. On the fateful day, she had gone to salon in a nearby shopping centre. She was returning home when it was already dark, when she was reportedly attacked with a panga.
The investigating officer Leyian Nkoiboni prayed to the court to hold the accused for 14 days to allow a postmortem on the body to be conducted to determine the exact cause of death and trace some of the crucial witnesses to record statements.
The prayer was supported by the Prosecution Counsel Moses Nganga who stated that the accused should not be released on bond or cash bail since the ground is still hostile.
“If released on bond, the respondent will interfere with witnesses and he is likely to flee the area,” Nganga said.
The prosecutor added that the scene needs to be secured and photographed before the accused is released.
The magistrate directed the police to escort the accused to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret, in order to undergo age and mental assessment.
She added that the suspect would be detained at the Kabarnet Police station until August 12 when both the medical and investigation reports would have been completed and submitted to court.
By Carlos Kiprop and Joshua Kibet
