The man accused of murdering his girlfriend and then fleeing to Kenya last year hid in court as he was ordered held without bail.

Kevin Kangethe, 42, of Lowell, is charged with the murder of Margaret “Maggie” Mbitu, 31, a beloved Brockton behavioral health nurse whose family overfilled courtroom 705 of Suffolk Superior Court for the alleged killer’s arraignment on Tuesday.

Kangethe pleaded not guilty to the charge. Clerk Magistrate Edward Curley ordered Kangethe held without bail.

“It has been a long journey coming. Today gives us hope and represents a step forward toward justice,” Mbitu’s sister wrote in a personal statement read after the arraignment. “When I lost my sister, I lost a personal friend, a confidant, and the only person I knew I could speak to.

“We will continue to fight until this coward is locked up, and never sees the light again or get to hurt another family and take their loved one away from them,” she continued.

The seventh floor anteroom was abuzz both during and after the hearing with members of Mbitu’s extended family as well as representatives of the various law enforcement and diplomatic agencies that worked together to investigate Mbitu’s murder and to bring him back from Nairobi, Kenya, to face his charge in Boston.

Prosecutors say that Kangethe killed Mbitu on Oct. 30 or 31, 2023, and then left her body in a car inside Logan International Airport’s central parking garage. Mbitu’s body was found at 6:30 p.m. that Nov. 1.

Mbitu worked as a per diem nurse for group homes run by the Brockton-based BAMSI, which works with people with developmental disabilities and mental and behavioral health challenges. The company had reported her missing and uploaded a missing poster to their website.

Company spokeswoman Ulea Lago told the Herald that Mbitu, who she called “Maggie,” was “an amazing individual” who was “loved by everyone she worked with.”

This is a developing story.

Detail of a missing poster for Maggie Mbitu posted by her coworkers. (Courtesy / Facebook posting)