A Kenyan court has sentenced a former Kenyan police officer to death for the murder of a prominent human rights lawyer and two others more than six years ago.
In June 2016, two other ex-police officers and a civilian were sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison for the murder of lawyer Willie Kimani, his client, and a taxi driver.
Last year, the four were found guilty on three counts, including murder.
Within 14 days, all four can file an appeal against their convictions and sentences.
In her decision, Justice Jessie Lessit stated that evidence presented during the trial demonstrated that the murders were premeditated and that the victims were brutally tortured and killed.
Willie Kimani, Josephat Mwendwa, and Joseph Muiruri’s bodies were discovered after being dumped in a river on the outskirts of Nairobi.
Mr. Kimani was defending motorbike taxi driver Josephat Mwenda, who had accused police officer Fredrick Leliman – one of the three officers found guilty – of shooting him at a traffic stop in 2015 for no apparent reason.
Mr. Kimani, Mr. Mwenda, and their taxi driver, Joseph Muiruri, were last seen at a police station on June 23, 2016.
Two weeks later, their mutilated bodies were discovered in a river nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the city.
