A 23-year-old woman convicted of killing her elder brother following a fight over Sh200 has been pardoned by the Eldoret High Court after striking a plea bargain agreement.
Sharry Jerop, a mother of one child, had pleaded guilty to the charges and was serving three years in prison.
But on Friday, she shed tears of joy after the court pardoned her. She will now serve a noncustodial sentence of one and half years.
Ordering her release from remand, Justice Eric Ogola noted that the convict was remorseful and ready to be reintegrated into society.
The judge placed the woman under probation for one and a half years after she served a similar period at the Eldoret Women Remand Prison.
“The accused is sentenced to serve three years from the day of her arrest. However, the remaining period will be served under probation while the accused is out of prison,” ruled the judge.
Court documents showed that Jerop killed her only brother – 30-year-old Benson Kibichi – on December 20, 2020 in Chebusie village, Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The siblings had engaged in a fight over Sh200 before Jerop grabbed a piece of wood and hit her brother on the head.
Jerop asked the court to pardon her, explaining that she was drunk and did not plan to kill her brother.
Neighbours had rushed her brother, who was bleeding profusely, to Kamworor hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
A postmortem report produced in court showed that Kibichi suffered primary traumatic brain injury caused by blunt force trauma to the head.
In her mitigation, Jerop asked the court for a second chance, stating that she had a six-year-old child who needed her care.
She told the court that she had been in remand since her arrest and that she had reformed, taken Bible studies and was seeking a second chance in life.
Prosecutors told the court that the family had forgiven their daughter and requested a noncustodial sentence.
“In the circumstances of this case, a father has lost a son whose death was caused by the daughter,” the judge said during the fresh sentencing on Friday.
“A plea bargain has been reached and the accused is remorseful and has a young child. I am satisfied that she needs the mercy of this court.” BY DAILY NATION