Husband of slain Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop seeks plea bargain

Bronze medalist Kenya's Agnes Jebet Tirop during the medal ceremony after the Women’s 10,000 metres final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019

FILE - Bronze medalist Kenya's Agnes Jebet Tirop during the medal ceremony after the Women’s 10,000 metres final at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019. Photo: Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters

Published Jun 29, 2022

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Nairobi — The husband of slain Kenyan distance runner Agnes Tirop is seeking a plea bargain after initially denying a charge of murder, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Tirop, a rising star in the world of athletics, was killed last October in her home in Iten, a high-altitude training hub in western Kenya for top runners.

Emmanuel Ibrahim Rotich was arrested after a dramatic late-night chase the day after Tirop's body was found with stab wounds, and has been in custody ever since.

The 41-year-old denied a charge of murder at a November court appearance.

But in the latest twist in the legal saga, his lawyer Ngigi Mbugua told the Eldoret High Court that Rotich was willing to plead guilty to a lesser charge in the hope of attracting a more lenient sentence.

The prosecution said it was not against the idea of a plea bargain but wanted Tirop's family to be involved in the process.

A hearing on Rotich's request will take place on September 22.

AFP