Woman suspected of killing ‘drunk’ husband arrested

A woman in Kirinyaga County who is suspected of killing her drunk husband and then hanging his body in their house to cover up the crime has been arrested.

The suspect is being held at Kianyaga Police Station for questioning.

The 29-year-old woman is said to have picked a quarrel with her husband at Kimunye market on Tuesday night which degenerated into a fight.

But the woman overpowered her husband, identified as Lawrence Kariuki, 36, and knocked him down.

SOCKS IN MOUTH

She allegedly stuffed socks in his mouth and strangled him.

Later, she is said to have told police that her husband had committed suicide following a domestic dispute.

Kirinyaga East Police Commander Antony Wanjuu said his officers became suspicious that something was amiss when they visited the scene to carry out investigations and found socks in the victim's mouth.

"We decided to have a post-mortem conducted on his body. The results have indicated that he didn't commit suicide and we are treating the matter as murder,” he said.

MURDER CHARGES

Mr Wanjuu said the woman will be arraigned.

"The suspect has committed a serious offence and she must face the law," he said.

Before his death, Mr Kariuki was a cobbler at the market.

Residents said Mr Kariuki regularly fought with his wife when drunk.

"The wife used to accuse him of drinking instead of providing upkeep for his family. We suspect that that day the woman was so angry when Kariuki arrived home drunk and without food for the family and snuffed out his life,” one of the residents said.