The murder case against a man nicknamed “Naivasha Vampire” set for the Nakuru High Court yesterday failed to kick off.
Geoffrey Mather alias Fongo looked composed as he appeared before Lady Justice Janet Mulwa, dressed in a brown jacket, but his lawyer was absent.
The prosecution on its part said that it was typing proceedings of the case and sought for more time before the hearing proceeds, prompting the judge to adjourn the case to a later date.
The accused is facing trial for the murder of Naomi Wairimu, a crime allegedly committed in August 2008 at his Kihoto house in Naivasha in the outskirts of Naivasha.
Matheri earned the nickname after his victims, mostly female alleged that he had been sucking blood from those he kidnapped.
The man was accused of abducting women, raping them and drinking their blood. He faced six various counts but was found guilty of only one charge due to what the Naivasha court called failure by the prosecution to avail key witnesses in court.
In November last year, Matheri was found guilty of kidnap by Naivasha Senior Principal Magistrate Thripsisa Wamae and was jailed for four years, a sentence he is currently serving at the Naivasha Maximum prisons.
The murder case he is facing has been dragging on without taking off more than five years after the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.
In the previous hearing, outgoing Judge Anyara Emukule expressed his dissatisfaction in the way the prosecution was handling the case noting that meaningful progress was yet to be made five years on.
Justice Mulwa yesterday ordered that Matheri be presented before court on February 3, 2015 when hearing is expected to kick off.