Beryl Ouma was strangled, post-mortem report shows

A post-mortem examination on Beryl Ouma shows the 28-year-old woman was strangled.

Government Pathologist Peter Ndegwa said that Ms Ouma, who died after a domestic brawl with her husband last week, suffered head injuries as well.

According to the report, Ms Ouma was hit by a blunt object at least six times.

Three pathologists, Joseph Ndung’u, representing Ms Ouma’s family, Charles Muturi, representing the suspect’s family, and Dr Ndegwa conducted the post-mortem.

Ms Ouma's husband Laiko Osuri, was arrested over her death.

On Friday, Ms Ouma’s father, Douglas Ouma Nyakach, claimed that her death occurred under suspicious circumstances, which his in-laws were trying to hide.

He recounted how on Thursday morning he had received distress messages from his daughter, an employee of Guru Nanak Hospital, asking him to call her at 5am.

“I reached her on phone, but her husband picked the call. I could hear my girl in the background crying in pain and telling her husband not to lie to me, that he was killing her. She begged him to let her speak to me, but he hung up,” Mr Nyakach said.

At around 7am, he recounted that Mr Osuri’s father called, telling him Ms Ouma had been taken to hospital following the fight with her husband.

Mr Nyakach rushed to Uhai Neema Hospital in Kahawa Sukari where the daughter was, only to find her dead.

She had been taken there by Mr Osuri and his parents, the hospital informed him.

“Why didn’t the hospital alert the police when a body was brought to them?” Mr Nyakach posed.

EVIDENCE

He said he went to the couple’s house with the police and found no evidence of a scuffle save for a bloody headscarf that the officers took as evidence.

Ms Ouma’s brother Mark Ouma indicated the couple had wed in a colourful ceremony in October 2017. Their troubles, however, began early 2018.

He suspected that money issues could have played a part in the squabbles as Mr Osuri had left his job in Qatar last year.

“We sat them down last year and talked and they reconciled,” he said.

Mr Ouma narrated how the neighbours had tried to intervene in the fight that started at 2am but found the door locked from inside.

“They said that my sister would poke her head out of the window and tell them that all was well, that they would resolve their issues,” he said.

He had also received distress calls from his sister that morning, but he was asleep.

COMPLICATED

Mr Nyakach said he suspects that his daughter died at around 5am and that Mr Osuri’s parents were present during the fight.

He claimed that the hospital attendants had informed him that the two had tried to get them to issue a transfer letter, allowing them to take the body to the mortuary instead of involving the police.