DNA Profiles of Five Unidentified Men Emerge in Tob Cohen Murder Trial
The court heard that investigators obtained DNA profiles from several items, including pillows, a vehicle steering wheel, a metallic door and a white towel.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
The murder trial of Dutch businessman Tob Cohen has taken a new turn after a forensic analyst told the Kibera High Court that DNA profiles belonging to five unidentified men were recovered from items collected during investigations into his death.
Former Government Analyst John Mungai appeared before Justice Diana Kavedza on Thursday and explained the results of forensic examinations carried out on exhibits recovered from Cohen’s Kitisuru residence and vehicles.
The court heard that investigators obtained DNA profiles from several items, including pillows, a vehicle steering wheel, a metallic door and a white towel.
The discovery has introduced additional unidentified male profiles into a case that has remained before the courts for years following Cohen’s disappearance and subsequent discovery of his body in an underground septic tank at his Nairobi home.
Mungai’s evidence concerned forensic material collected from different parts of the residence and vehicles linked to Cohen. The analysis was intended to establish whether biological material recovered from the exhibits could assist investigators in identifying people who may have come into contact with the items.
The court was told that some of the exhibits produced DNA profiles while others yielded mixed profiles or no usable DNA.
Among the evidence previously examined was material recovered from Cohen’s vehicle. A separate report on the proceedings indicated that a DNA profile obtained from the steering wheel of motor vehicle KZQ 947 was attributed to an unknown male.
The DNA evidence forms part of a wider prosecution case against Sarah Wairimu Cohen, who is accused of murdering her husband. She has denied the charge.
Cohen, a Dutch national who had lived in Kenya for several decades, disappeared in July 2019. His body was later found inside a septic tank at his Kitisuru residence in September of the same year.
The court has heard evidence from several witnesses concerning the events surrounding his disappearance, his relationship with Wairimu and his movements shortly before he was reported missing.
Earlier this week, police witnesses told the court that Cohen and Wairimu had been involved in several disputes before his death. An officer also testified that Cohen had reported an alleged assault by his wife in February 2019 and that police later obtained an arrest warrant that was not executed before his death.
The court has also heard evidence about Cohen’s final known movements on July 19, 2019. Former employees of Plums Hotel in Westlands testified that he visited the establishment before leaving later that night. Other witnesses have given evidence concerning his visit to Muthaiga Golf Club on the same day.
The latest forensic testimony is expected to form part of the court’s assessment of the physical evidence gathered during the investigation.
The trial is continuing before Justice Kavedza, with additional prosecution witnesses expected to testify in October. Wairimu remains presumed innocent unless and until the court determines otherwise.
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