Leonard Thuo Mwithiga, an experienced banker, was arrested in Connecticut, United States, for hiring a hitman to kill a female relative.
Mwithiga, 52, appeared in court on Wednesday to testify against the charges when it was revealed that between September 9 to December 1, 2023, he asked an Uber driver to connect him to a hitman.
According to court documents, Mwithiga instructed the hitman to "put that woman down" and "finish her," referring to the alleged female family member, as reported by US-based media outlet NBC.
Muthiga was quoted as saying that the woman may be injected with something that would make her sick "like cancer."
His strategy, however, came to a stop when he met a police officer masquerading as a hitman at a Putnam hotel, Motel 6, where they agreed to the hit job, preparing for a family member to swallow fentanyl and appear to have overdosed.
Mwithiga is reportedly said to have told the undercover cop that he wanted the murder to take place between January 28 and February 3, 2024, so he wouldn't be a suspect.
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Mathiga's defense team maintained his innocence and stated that he flew to Connecticut to resolve certain legal proceedings before returning to Kenya on December 7, 2023.
The bond was set at Ksh.766.5 million ($5 million), and if he bonds out, he will be subject to a 24-hour GPS lockdown, relinquish his passport, and be obliged to remain in the state.
The defendant is scheduled to appear in court on January 26, 2024, facing various counts, including criminal attempt/intimidation of a witness, plot to commit murder, and criminal attempt and murder with special circumstances.
