Alleged murderer who hopped on a plane at Logan escapes custody in Kenya before he can be flown back here for trial

A man who was being held by Kenyan police pending his return here for trial in the death of a nurse whose body was found in a car at Logan Airport managed to run out of a police station when his lawyer arrived for a visit, then fled on a Nairobi mini-bus to parts unknown, the Nairobi News reports.

Kevin Kangethe, formerly of Lowell, was arrested in an upscale Nairobi neighborhood last month in connection with the death of Margaret Mbitu, whose body was found in the trunk of a car at Logan on Nov. 1.

Kangethe appeared in a Kenyan court on Jan. 31, where a judge ordered him detained for at least 30 days while prosecutors prepared formal extradition papers to have him flown to Boston.

The News reports a man claiming to be his lawyer went to the police station to meet with Kangethe yesterday and that as he was being walked out of his cell, Kangethe ran away and out of the station, then along the Thika Superhighway before boarding the bus on his way to "parts unknown." The News reports police acknowledge the escape was "just embarrassing."

DA Kevin Hayden said:

We have been informed by federal officials that Kevin Kangethe has escaped from police custody in Kenya. It is our hope that Kenyan law enforcement will do their utmost to recapture Kangethe so that we can continue seeking justice for Margaret Mbitu and her family.