Kenya court clears 4 in filmmaker death By ANTONY GITONGA, Associated Press Writer

Kenya court clears 4 in filmmaker death By ANTONY GITONGA, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 11 minutes ago



NAIVASHA, Kenya - A Kenyan judge acquitted four men accused of killing a British wildlife filmmaker and naturalist in her home, ruling Friday that the investigation was "poorly done."

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Joan Root, 69, was shot in her bed in January 2006 by two intruders who broke her bedroom window and fired an AK-47 assault rifle at close range, police said. They said she tried unsuccessfully to stop her bleeding with bed sheets before she died. The motive apparently was robbery.

Magistrate Nicholas Njagi, who presided over the bench trial, ordered the men released after more than a year in custody and denounced the investigation. They had faced charges including robbery with violence that leads to a death.

"I acquit the accused," Njagi said. He said the investigation was "poorly done."

Root collaborated with her former husband, Alan Root, in making several popular films about African wildlife, including "Balloon Safari" and "Two in the Bush."

Root's family could not immediately be reached for comment on the court's action Friday.

The defendants — David Chege, Joseph Ndung'u, Philip Mutuku and Allan Githenji — hugged their relatives outside court.

"We have suffered in remand for a sin committed by others," Chege said.