A man strangled to death a 40-year-old mother-in-law in a village in Isebania, Migori County in a quarrel over custody of his son.
The assailant
later set a house on fire as he escaped in the August 27 incident, police said.
A woman aged 60
was stabbed and seriously wounded in the drama.
According to
the police, the assailant first broke into the house at dawn and tied the 60-year-old
woman’s hands and legs after threatening to kill her.
He then used a
piece of cloth to cover her mouth.
He later turned on the deceased Deboda Mwita, 40 and strangled her using a piece of cloth and bare hands as he demanded to know the whereabouts of his wife he said had eloped with his son.
The deceased was his mother-in-law, police said. She tried
to explain her daughter had left for Nairobi in vain.
This happened
as three children aged seven, five and one who were in the house watched.
The assailant,
according to police later lay the body of the woman on a bed together with the
old woman and children and set the house on fire.
But the old
woman managed to untie herself as the fire spread and rescued the three
children, police said.
The body was
burnt therein beyond recognition, police said adding it was moved to the
mortuary pending an autopsy.
Locals had then
joined in efforts to contain the fire.
A hunt on the assailant
intensified on Thursday with police declaring they were pursuing leads on his
whereabouts.
Elsewhere, a shopkeeper was targeted, stabbed and killed in an
attack in his premise in Inda area, Lamu County.
Timothy
Mutembei, 28 was stabbed and killed by assailants who escaped after the
incident on August 26, police said.
The victim was
in his shop at about 8 pm when a gang struck and stabbed him in the precordial
area and head.
He raised an
alarm prompting the attackers to escape but after they had fatally injured him.
Police said he
was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
In Awendo,
Migori County, a 63-year-old man was arrested over the murder of his son aged
28.
The incident
happened in a confrontation at their home over food.
Police said the
deceased had demanded food at the home when his father dismissed him and
demanded that he leaves.
This prompted a
deadly confrontation that saw the assailant pick up a jembe wood that he used
in hitting Geoffrey Ouma in the head.
He escaped after the August 26 incident. He was arrested a day later and was expected in court on August 28, police said adding he would face murder charges.
