The Milimani Magistrate’s Court has acquitted Michael Macharia Njiri, popularly known as DJ Brownskin, after finding that the prosecution failed to establish a credible case linking him to the death of his wife.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, trial magistrate Caroline Nyanguthi held that the evidence presented did not meet the legal threshold required to sustain the charges, resulting in the dismissal of all counts against the DJ.
DJ Brownskin had been facing charges of aiding suicide and failing to prevent the commission of a felony in relation to the death of his wife, Sharon Njeri Mwangi, who died on July 29, 2022, at their residence in Kariobangi South, Nairobi.
The court heard that Sharon died after consuming a poisonous substance.
Prosecutors alleged that the accused encouraged his wife to take her own life and failed to intervene despite allegedly being present when she ingested the poison.
The case attracted widespread public attention following the circulation of a video online that was said to relate to the incident.
He was also charged in a separate count with destroying evidence, with the prosecution claiming that he deleted suicide-related material from his mobile phone in June 2023, knowing it was likely to be required in court proceedings.
In her determination, Magistrate Nyanguthi found that the prosecution had not sufficiently proved the essential elements of the offences as required by law.
The court noted gaps in the evidence linking the accused to the alleged acts and ruled that suspicion alone could not form the basis of a conviction.
As a result, the court entered a finding of not guilty on all counts, bringing the case to an end.
DJ Brownskin had been arraigned in June 2023 following investigations into the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.
