In a significant legal development, the High Court in Eldoret has sentenced Naftali Kinuthia, the prime suspect in the tragic murder of Moi University student Ivy Wangeci, to 40 years behind bars.

The verdict, delivered by Justice Stephen Githinji, determined Kinuthia's guilt in committing the heinous crime on April 9, 2019, just outside the university premises. Justice Githinji underscored the severity of the offense against an innocent soul, warranting a stringent punishment.

While the prosecution team had sought the death penalty for Kinuthia, the judge rejected this plea, citing the court's reluctance to endorse retaliation in its verdict.

Earlier in the year, Kinuthia had admitted to the murder, citing anger issues as the motive. He revealed that Wangeci's decision to end their relationship for another person had provoked him, asserting that he had invested emotionally and financially in the relationship without receiving reciprocated love.

During a court session in October, Justice Githinji dismissed Kinuthia's defense, stating a lack of sufficient evidence to establish a sexual relationship between the two. The prosecution presented text messages, which, according to the judge, did not provide conclusive evidence of intimacy.

Prior to her tragic demise, Wangeci was pursuing a degree in medicine at Moi University. Initial reports indicated that Kinuthia, armed with a knife and an axe, traveled from Nairobi to Eldoret and requested to meet her outside of class. Eyewitnesses testified that he mercilessly hacked her to death, simultaneously slitting her throat.

"I forever regret the death of Ivy. She was innocent. There are so many ways we could have resolved our differences. I was not happy when the deceased told me, through her close friend, that she did not love me because I was too short," confessed Kinuthia about the murder of Wangeci.