Kevin Kangethe, the man accused of killing 31-year-old nurse Margaret Mbitu and leaving her body in a Logan International Airport parking garage, has been ordered to provide a DNA cheek swab as he remains jailed on a first-degree murder charge. Prosecutors say Mbitu’s body was discovered inside Kangethe’s SUV in the Central Parking garage after her family reported her missing in late October 2023.
Judge orders DNA swab
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Mary Ames signed an order requiring Kangethe to submit to a buccal swab after finding probable cause that the test “will probably produce evidence relevant to the question of the defendant’s guilt,” according to The Boston Globe. Ames specified that the sample must be taken by a government-chosen person in the presence of a member of the State Police and, if he chooses, Kangethe’s attorney. She also directed that “the fewest number of samples necessary shall be taken, so as to cause minimum inconvenience to the defendant.”
Prosecutors’ account of the killing
According to court filings, Mbitu, who worked as a nurse at a long-term care facility in Halifax, was last seen leaving her shift around 11 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2023, and was later found dead in the front passenger seat of a Toyota Venza, prosecutors say. Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee told the court the victim suffered 10 wounds to her face and neck and that investigators found a large amount of blood inside the vehicle, as reported by Boston.com. Filings say Kangethe parked the car at his Lowell home with the body inside before later driving it to Logan’s Central Garage.
International manhunt and extradition
Prosecutors say Kangethe bought a one-way ticket to Nairobi after the killing and was arrested in Kenya on Jan. 30, 2024, though he briefly escaped custody before being recaptured, reporting at the time showed. The FBI’s Boston office later confirmed that agents from its Violent Crimes Task Force escorted Kangethe from Nairobi to Logan as part of his extradition back to Massachusetts. See reporting by The Associated Press and the FBI’s press release on the return of the suspect for details.
How courts authorize DNA testing
Massachusetts law and court precedent allow judges to compel buccal swabs post-indictment when there is a showing of probable cause that the sample will likely produce evidence relevant to guilt, and judges are expected to limit the intrusion to what is necessary. Legal analyses and prior state Supreme Judicial Court decisions outline that standard and the balancing judges must perform; see the court summaries at FindLaw for background.
What’s next in court
Kangethe has pleaded not guilty and remains held without bail as criminal proceedings move forward, local coverage notes. Under Judge Ames’s order the swab will be administered under state supervision and may be tested and compared to any biological evidence the Commonwealth has identified, and defense counsel may be present during collection. Mbitu’s family has pressed for answers and called for justice as the case proceeds through Suffolk Superior Court, according to reporting from Boston.com.
