Michael Macharia Njiri, popularly known as DJ Brownskin, has been acquitted of all charges relating to his wife’s death after the Milimani Magistrate’s Court found that the evidence against him was insufficient.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, trial magistrate Caroline Nyanguthi said the prosecution had failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, leaving Brownskin free of the accusations.
The DJ faced charges of counselling his wife, Sharon Njeri Mwangi, to take her own life on July 29, 2022, at Kariobangi South in Buruburu Sub-County. He was also accused of neglecting to prevent a felony, with prosecutors claiming he did not take reasonable measures to stop the suicide.
Prosecutors alleged that Brownskin watched as Sharon ingested poison, an incident that drew public attention after a video purporting to show the event circulated widely online. He was further charged with destroying potential evidence by deleting suicide-related content from his phone on June 1, 2023, knowing it could be required in court.
However, Magistrate Nyanguthi ruled that the prosecution had not sufficiently established the elements of the alleged offences. She concluded that the evidence presented did not meet the legal threshold for conviction, resulting in Brownskin’s acquittal on all counts.
Brownskin had been arraigned in June 2023 following investigations into the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. The ruling brings an end to a case that attracted widespread public scrutiny.
