The High Court in Nairobi has been shown extensive digital evidence in the murder trial of former Safari Rally driver Maxine Wahome, who is accused of killing her boyfriend, fellow rally driver and mechanic Asad Khan.
Maxine is alleged to have assaulted Asad at their Nairobi apartment on December 12, 2022, causing serious injuries from which he later died while receiving treatment in a city hospital.
A digital forensics expert attached to the DCI, who described himself as a foreign expert, testified that he extracted videos, photos, call logs and messages from Maxine’s iPhone.
The extraction produced a 76000-page document, from which he compiled a 22-page report focusing on the crime scene, call logs and relevant messages, in line with instructions from the investigating officer.
He admitted not all images and videos were included in the final report but said this was not deliberate.
He also presented videos including four dated August 11, 2022, which showed Maxine with injuries around her eyes, though he clarified these were not taken on the dates of the fatal incident.
A key exhibit was a distress video played in open court, showing a woman believed to be Maxine crying and narrating to her father and detectives that she had been assaulted by Asad. In the clip, she is heard insisting:“Daddy, he cut himself.
He kicked the window. I was the one who was beaten up.”
The expert said this video forms part of the evidence relied on by Maxine’s defence and insisted there was no alteration on the clip, adding that he conducted an independent analysis.
The expert also walked the court through call logs between Maxine, Asad and Maxine’s mother, including a WhatsApp call between Maxine and her mother at 9:11 am, lasting about nine minutes 43 seconds, on the morning of the incident.
Under cross-examination by lawyer Philip Murgor and Steve Kimathi , the expert denied doctoring any documents or being influenced by the investigating officer, insisting he carried out an independent analysis and followed instructions to focus on the crime scene, messages and call logs.
He confirmed that while he did not read all 76000 pages due to volume, the extraction preserved all messages, calls, videos and images from Maxine’s phone.
The prosecution is relying on this voluminous digital trail, together with medical and eyewitness evidence, to link Maxine to the fatal injuries suffered by Asad.
The hearing is ongoing.
