Tirop family rejects plea bargain with key murder suspect Rotich
Ibrahim Rotich, a suspect in the murder of Olympian Agnes Tirop in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County in October last year, when he appeared before Justice Reuben Nyakundi, at the High Court in Eldoret on November 2, 2022.
What you need to know:
- While presiding over the case on Thursday, Justice Reuben Nyakundi directed the two parties to ventilate the issues of the out of court settlement and see whether they can agree before he pronounces a verdict
- lawyer Richard Waringi, watching brief for the family of the deceased, brought to the attention of the packed court that they have not been served with documents regarding plea bargain
- Justice Nyakundi directed the two parties to appear before him on April 18, 2023 once they have agreed on the plea bargain route before he gives further direction on the matter
The family of an international athlete Agnes Tirop has declined to enter into plea bargain with the family of Ibrahim Rotich, who is charged with murdering his estranged wife.
Tirop, a former celebrated long distance athlete, was found dead at her Iten residence on October 13, 2021 after returning from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where she finished fourth in the 5,000m race.
Rotich, who is currently being held at Eldoret GK remand prison, was arrested at a police roadblock at Chaani in Mombasa while attempting to run away from justice by plotting to escape to the neighbouring Tanzania after killing the international athlete.
According to the postmortem report compiled by two pathologists at the Iten County Referral Hospital Mortuary, the deceased hardly 26, had neck stab wounds and her head had been smashed with a blunt object.
Tirop was interred at her parent's home in Nandi County on October 23 which coincidentally was her 26th birthday.
Rotich's family is now seeking to negotiate for a lesser offence for their son who is facing a capital offence punishable by either death or life imprisonment upon conviction.
A defence lawyer Simiyu Khatete informed the court that a bid to settle for a plea bargain with Tirop's family has hit a brick wall.
"We had hoped that there would be a white smoke as regards to plea bargain with the family of the deceased but to our utter shock the other party has turned down the offer," Khatete disclosed.
Following the disagreement, the High Court in Eldoret has given the parties a last opportunity to agree on the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) before the prosecution leads evidence into the heinous murder of the athlete who flew Kenya's flag high.
While presiding over the case on Thursday, Justice Reuben Nyakundi directed the two parties to ventilate the issues of the out of court settlement and see whether they can agree before he pronounces a verdict.
"I hereby give the parties a last chance to resolve the case before I give directions on the matter," directed Justice Nyakundi.
This was after lawyer Richard Waringi, watching brief for the family of the deceased, brought to the attention of the packed court that they have not been served with documents regarding plea bargain.
"The family of the deceased is not willing to pursue the plea bargain and if that will happen, we will still retain the charges of murder against the accused person owing to the circumstances under which the deceased met her untimely death," argued lawyer Waringi.
Justice Nyakundi directed the two parties to appear before him on April 18, 2023 once they have agreed on the plea bargain route before he gives further direction on the matter.
Rotich, 41, has denied murdering his estranged wife before the High Court after the mental assessment report from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital showed that he was fit to stand trial.
The charge against him states that he killed Tirop on October 13, 2021, at Rural estate in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet county.
The family of the late Tirop led by her father Vincent Tirop as well as Rotich’s siblings were present during the court session.
