Kenyan man traveled to U.S. and tried hiring hitman to kill wife: authorities

Authorities in Connecticut mentioned a 52-year-old Kenyan man traveled to the USA and tried to rent a hitman to kill his estranged spouse after she fled to the nation with their kids. In keeping with Regulation & Crime, the accused, recognized as Leonard Thuo Mwithiga, beforehand had his spouse locked up in a psychological well being facility in Kenya when she tried to flee from him with their kids.

After getting into the USA, Mwithiga is alleged to have solicited the providers of an Uber driver – additionally named as confidential informant (CI) within the paperwork – in his try to rent successful man who may fatally inject his spouse with “a most cancers”, authorities mentioned. 

Between September 9 and December 1, the Connecticut State Police mentioned the CI rendered providers to Mwithiga on a number of events. Through the rides, Mwithiga touched on his divorce and described his spouse as “evil.” He’s mentioned to have additionally requested the CI to get him a hitman to kill his spouse. The 52-year-old additionally mentioned he most popular the hitman injecting his spouse “with one thing to make her very sick, ‘Like a most cancers,’” in order that she dies slowly, police mentioned.

“[The witness] said that ultimately, Mwithiga would arrange rides through private textual content, exterior of the ‘Uber’ platform,” police mentioned, including that the CI began recording conversations through the rides. The recorded conversations included the suspect pondering over “harming his spouse.”

Throughout a November 1 journey, the paperwork said that Mwithiga advised the CI to drive to a house at Thompson, Ct. to “search for his spouse and youngsters,” Regulation & Crime reported. “Throughout this journey, Mwithiga requested [the witness] if he knew anybody who may ‘hit’ his spouse, that he wished somebody to ‘end her,’” authorities mentioned.

Mwithiga and the CI additionally met at a motel on December 1. Throughout that assembly, he described his spouse as “evil” and likewise mentioned he was able to “combat evil with evil.” “Mwithiga requested [the witness] to rent a ‘hitman’ to kill his spouse,” the paperwork said, including that Mwithiga reiterated he wished his spouse to die slowly.

Police mentioned Mwithiga handed the CI $100 as cost for “his time” and the 2 later exchanged messages on WhatsApp. When the CI requested Mwithiga the sum of money he was prepared to pay for him to search for a hitman, the defendant “advised EDMC CI they might negotiate,” police mentioned.

Throughout an interview with the police, the sufferer mentioned she and Mwithiga had been collectively for 22 years in Kenya. However she mentioned she fled with their kids in September final 12 months as a result of her husband had been bodily abusing her and had additionally threatened to kill her and their kids, Regulation & Crime reported.

Police mentioned that when the sufferer tried to flee the 12 months prior, Mwithiga had her despatched to a psychological hospital. “Sufferer #1 tried to depart the nation along with her kids, however was stopped by police on the airport as a result of Mwithiga had filed a police report. Sufferer #1 was then dedicated to a psychological well being facility by the police on the course of her husband for being ‘mentally disturbed,’” the paperwork said. “As soon as Sufferer #1 was launched from the hospital, Mwithiga apologized for sending her to the hospital and so they reconciled.”

Regardless of the reconciliation, Mwithiga continued to be bodily abusive. The sufferer and their kids in the end fled.

Mwithiga was in the end arrested on December 4 after he met with the Uber driver and an secret agent on the Connecticut motel he was lodging. Through the assembly earlier than his eventual arrest, Mwithiga paid the undercover cop and the Uber driver $300 and $100 respectively after they agreed the supposed hitman and his spouse would go on a date and make her snort “pure fentanyl” – which might be introduced as cocaine, authorities mentioned.

“Mwithiga requested the undercover to analysis a sluggish dying for Sufferer #1, however in the end he agreed that the hitman may kill the sufferer in any method,” the paperwork added.

Mwithiga is alleged to have advised the undercover cop to hold out the hit on his spouse between January 28 and February 3 as he could be again in Kenya throughout that interval, per Regulation & Crime. The suspect additionally agreed to ship the Uber driver $4,000 through Western Union as cost to the hitman after his spouse’s dying was confirmed.

Mwithiga has since been charged with legal try homicide with particular circumstances, conspiracy, and witness intimidation. He’s being held on a $5,000,000 bond.