Nairobi, Kenya, Aug 27, 2007 / 09:14 am
A Kenyan official has concluded that a U.S. priest, who died seven years ago, was murdered.
Senior Principal Magistrate Maureen Odero’s conclusion challenges the FBI’s finding that the priest’s death was a suicide. The FBI investigated Fr. John Kaiser’s death in 2000 and concluded that he shot himself. However, Odero presided over a new inquiry into the 67-year-old priest’s death this month. She described the FBI's investigation as "seriously flawed, superficial and lopsided."
The Kenyan government had ordered the new inquiry in April 2003, after steady pressure from the country's Catholic bishops.
A lawyer representing Catholic officials in Kenya also claims the FBI withheld crucial evidence regarding Fr. Kaiser’s death.