Kenyan photographer Jacktone Odhiambo has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of his housemate, LGBTQ+ activist Edwin Kiprotich Kipruto, popularly known as Edwin Chiloba, nearly two years ago.
Judge Reuben Nyakundi said the decade-long sentence was based on the “vicious manner” of the murder.
Chiloba, a 25 year old fashion designer, was strangled to death and his body was thrown into a metal box on the roadside in Eldoret.
The murder shocked the LGBTQ+ community in Kenya.
Judge Nyakundi said Odhiambo, 25, showed no remorse for the murder.
However, after the verdict was announced, Odhiambo caused a stir in the courtroom when he fell down and cried.
“I have considered all the factors and found that Odhiambo is a man with hatred and killed his close friend,” the judge said.
Chiloba and Odhiambo were once housemates living near Eldoret University where Chiloba was a student. There is some information that these two men are in a relationship.
The prosecution, led by Mark Mugun, told the court that Odhiambo squandered the activist’s money after killing him.
Evidence from 23 witnesses, including DNA testing linking Odhiambo to the crime scene, was also presented by the prosecution.
Chiloba’s body was found with a sock stuffed in his mouth and a piece of denim tied around his face.
An autopsy revealed that he died of asphyxiation, due to suffocation.
Evidence also showed that the suspect sexually assaulted Chiloba before committing suicide.
There was speculation that this was a case of intimate partner murder but the court did not draw any conclusions about the motive for the murder.
