The High Court in Eldoret has found freelance photographer Jacktone Odhiambo, also known as Lizer, guilty of murdering LGBTQ activist Edwin Kiptoo Chiloba.
Justice Reuben Nyakundi ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, and Odhiambo will be sentenced on December 16.
The court established that scientific, direct, and witness evidence linked Odhiambo to the crime.
DNA tests confirmed the two shared an intimate relationship, and the last-seen theory placed Odhiambo with Chiloba shortly before his death.
Chiloba, a final-year Bachelor of Apparel Fashion and Design student at the University of Eldoret, was killed between December 31, 2022, and January 3, 2023.
His decomposing body was found in a metal box dumped along the Kipkenyo-Kaptinga road in Kapseret Sub-County, 10 kilometers from Eldoret.
Nyakundi outlined how forensic evidence revealed that Odhiambo purchased the metal box used to dispose of Chiloba’s body.
Additionally, he accessed Chiloba’s mobile phone and used his M-Pesa account to make transactions, including paying for the box.
Eyewitness testimony placed both men together at Tamasha Club on New Year’s Eve before they returned to their shared apartment.
Witnesses also reported hearing Chiloba’s cries at 3 a.m. on the night he was killed, which Nyakundi suggested were his final attempts to save himself.
An autopsy by Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor revealed Chiloba died of asphyxia after his mouth and nose were stuffed with clothing.
The judge described the act as premeditated, noting evidence of malice aforethought.
Witnesses, including Odhiambo’s family members, testified to helping him load the metal box into a car.
They recounted how he later dumped the body. A friend and classmate testified that the romantic relationship between Chiloba and Odhiambo was well-known.
During his defense, Odhiambo denied involvement in the murder, claiming he fainted upon learning of Chiloba’s death through social media. He argued that Chiloba often became upset when he interacted with women, leading to arguments.
Nyakundi dismissed Odhiambo’s defense, stating that the evidence—including DNA results, forensic findings, and witness accounts—clearly implicated him. “You strangled your dear friend at the peak of his life,” the judge said, adding that Odhiambo’s actions betrayed a deep-seated malice.
The sentencing is set for December 16, and the case has drawn significant public attention due to its tragic details and implications for LGBTQ rights in Kenya.
