Court Pushes Judgment on Maribe, Jowie Murder Case to January

Former news anchor Jacque Maribe and her estranged lover Joseph “Jowie” Irungu will know their fate in the Monica Kimani murder case next year.

Trial Judge Grace Nzioka was to deliver the judgement today but told parties that she received the exhibits which are crucial in helping her determine the case as late as yesterday.

This is the second time the judgement has been postponed. The first time the Judge was indisposed.

“I took time to write the judgement. We have made progress. But on Monday I discovered that when file was sent to me not all exhibits were sent to me,” she said.

The Judge said even after making requests for them to be sent on Monday, she got to receive them on Thursday morning in three sacks.

Before the new dates were settled on, Jowie had pleaded with the court to grant him an earlier date. He requested for 21 January and Maribe on the other hand requested for a date in January.

The parties subsequently came to an agreement to have the judgement delivered on January 26.

Read: Jowie, Maribe to Know Fate in Murder Case

In July, the accused argued that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are culpable of killing Monica who was found brutally murdered at her Lamuria Gardens apartment.

Maribe’s lawyer, Katwa Kigen, specifically argued that none of the witnesses had incriminated the former news anchor during the case proceedings.

“The case is based on circumstantial evidence; there’s no direct evidence against the second accused person, ” Maribe’s lawyer said.

Read Also: Court Postpones Judgement on Jowie, Maribe Murder Case to December 15

Kigen argued Maribe was not aware of the existence of Monica and there was no DNA evidence linking her to Monica’s murder.

“There was no blood group association between the blood that was found and the accused and there’s no confession that would suggest that she had a hand in the death of Monica,” Kigen argued.

“There’s no telephone data to demonstrate that she communicated with the deceased, Maribe has given timings of where she was and the people she was with when Monica’s murder allegedly occurred. The prosecution has confirmed both the location and times so where is the entry point then?” he posed.

The judge had in March this year ruled the two have a case to answer.

Jowie is the first accused person in the murder trial of Monica.

He was charged alongside Jacque Maribe in 2018.