What next for Jacque Maribe after Murder Charge?

Citizen TV journalist Jacque Maribe was finally put under the dock on Monday morning and chharged with arguably one of the worst offenses in the constitution, murder.

To be honest, no the odds are against Jacque as very few people have been where she is and managed to come out intact. Whether she clears her name or she is found guilty and sentenced, Maribe should prepare for the worst case scenario.

According to a charge sheet read to the journalist and her boyfriend Joe Irungu, Lady Justice Jessie Lessit of the Criminal Division of the High Court, the two were charged with killing Monica Kimani, an offence which violates Sections 203 and 204 of the Penal Code.

“You’re facing one count of murder and the particulars are that on the night of September 19 you at an unknown time at Lamuria Gardens Apartments Kitale Lane, Off Dennis Pritt Road in Kilimani Area within Nairobi, you’re jointly charged with the murder of Monica Nyawira Kimani,” the judge outlined.

Lady Justice Lessit had deferred the plea-taking on Tuesday last week to allow Maribe undergo a mental assessment before being charged.

The results of a mental assessment on the Royal Media Services’ News Anchor were released on Friday paving way for her arraignment in court.

Prosecution Counsel, Catherine Mwaniki, sought two weeks before the trial commences, a request that was objected by defence lawyers, including Maribe’s Katwa Kigen who pleaded with the judge to expedite the process.

The new development now paves way for a long and tedious process, whose end result would see Jacque clear her name, or even facing the hangman’s noose, if found guilty. Justice Lessit has already proved that she can sentence someone to hanging. She did that tio Mrs. Langata Prisons in August.

Image result for Jacque Maribe

The State had indicated that it had drafted an affidavit with eighteen annexure, which affidavit laid grounds for the objection of the release of the two accused persons on bail.

During Monday’s hearing, the prosecution also indicated that it was considering placing some witnesses on a witness protection program.

Maribe and Irungu are being treated as prime suspects in the murder of Kimani whose body was discovered at her Kilimani apartment on September 20.

According to police reports, her body was found in a bathtub with her throat slit. Maribe became a person on interest in the matter after her fiancé – Irungu – was arrested with a gunshot wound.

Irungu had told the police that he was shot by three unknown assailants outside Maribe’s house in Royal Park Estate, Lang’ata.

Image result for Jacque Maribe

The police later recovered a bullet in the said house with further investigations revealing that Irungu could have shot himself in the house, a finding that contradicted their statements.

Police arrested Brian Kassaine after a gun that matched the bullet recovered in Maribe’s house was found in his house.

Kiambu Principal Magistrate Justus Kituku on Friday released Kassaine on bail after 10 days in detention with instructions that he reports to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations every Thursday for two months

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