Lawyer John Hari Gakinya appeared before High Court judge Daniel Ogembo
A Nakuru-based lawyer, John Hari Gakinya, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Belgian businesswoman Dysseller Mireille Lesoipa, also known as Leila. Gakinya is accused of killing her between December 11, 2018, and July 2019, in collaboration with others who are yet to be brought before the court. He appeared before Justice Daniel Ogembo to answer the charges.
Mireille went missing, and Gakinya is the second person to be arrested. The other suspect, Lucy Waithera, who is an alleged beneficiary of the Belgian’s estate and a close friend, was arrested and is suspected of having been involved in her disappearance.
Waithera, through lawyer John Hari Gakinya, filed a succession case in the Nakuru court to have access to the deceased person’s estate. Before that, she is alleged to have produced a fake death certificate for Mireille’s lawyer that was also filed in court.
However, Waithera is yet to plead guilty to the charge of murder since her mental assessment report has not been presented in court. Even as the accused persons are produced in court, Mireille’s body is yet to be found.
The court ordered that she be taken for the psych evaluation in early February, but to date, the state has yet to do so, whereas John Gakinya, who was produced in court on Monday, 9th, has already been evaluated and charged.
Her lawyer, Cliff Ombeta, had told the court that the state would fail to take his client for the mental assessment. The judge directed that the Waithera matter be mentioned on Thursday, 12th, while the lawyer’s matter be mentioned on Monday, 16th, when he will formally apply for bail.
