British National Acquitted of Murder in the Death of His Kenyan Lover

A British national has been acquitted of murdering his Kenyan lover by the High Court in Nairobi. Justice Hedwig Ongu’di of the High Court ruled on Thursday that the prosecution had failed to prove that Carl Gary Singleton, 43, was guilty of murder in the November, 2014 death of 22-year-old Peris Agumbi.

The court heard that on November 19, 2014, Singleton kicked Peris out of the Gachie apartment the two shared, following an argument. He also flushed her diabetes medications down the toilet. She reported the matter to Kihara Police Station and sought to retrieve her medications from the apartments but Singleton did not let her in.  On November 21, 2014, Peris reportedly fell ill from diabetes complications and died the following day.

The prosecution attempted to show the court that Singleton was responsible for Peris’ death by denying her access to her life-saving medications. The judge however said the prosecution had failed to produce evidence that Singleton flushed down the drugs in the toilet as alleged, and therefore could not be held legally responsible for her death.

“In conclusion, I find that the accused is not guilty of murder of the deceased and I acquit him. He shall be set free unless otherwise lawfully held,” said Justice Ongu’di in her ruling.

Peris was a fourth-year student at the University of Nairobi, Lower Campus. The two met on Facebook in 2013 and Singleton moved to Kenya in 2014 to live with her.