Kenyan jailed for 21 years over US killing

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By ANTONY KARANJA in DALLAS, Texas
Posted  Tuesday, April 17  2012 at  22:30

IN SUMMARY

• Woman, who had been diagnosed with HIV, stabbed her roommate to death in 2010

A Kenyan woman has been sentenced to 21 years in jail for stabbing her roommate to death in 2010 in the US.

Nancy Kinuthia, 42, pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Ruth Wawira Munene by stabbing her more than 100 times in Dallas.

The sentence was handed down on Monday by Texas Circuit Court judge William Cole, who also took into consideration the time Kinuthia spent in jail awaiting trial.

Ms Munene was found dead in a pool of blood and with multiple stab wounds on June 11, 2010, after friends contacted the police when they failed to reach her.

Kinuthia, who was alleged to have gone into hiding, resurfaced two days later. She called her pastor, telling him where she was.

The two women were both members of a Kenyan church in Alabama.

After her arrest in 2010, a detective testified that Kinuthia told police that she had a large steak knife and that she stabbed Ms Munene in a rage during a conversation.

The detective said Kinuthia had confided in Ms Munene that she had been diagnosed with HIV. The defence had argued that Kinuthia was suffering from depression due to her HIV status, which was partly to blame for the fatal incident.

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During the court session, several letters from Ms Munene’s family in Kenya were read.

An emotional letter from Ms Munene’s 14-year-old daughter in Kenya read: “Though you had HIV, you should have been a role model and educated others on the dangers of HIV and not go about killing others.” This was in apparent reference to the accused.

Judge Cole had noted that Kinuthia may have been depressed, causing her to act irrationally due to her HIV status. He indicated that he was taking her status into consideration when handing down the sentence.

Ms Munene’s brother, Mr Matthew Gacenge, said: “The sentence was very lenient and I expected a little more than that. We are disappointed that she did not get a heavier penalty.”