The case was unprecedented in the years-long campaign against police impunity in Kenya -- a record 15 officers ordered to stand trial, accused of a terrifying rampage through a family home.
Never had so many officers -- nearly an entire station in western Kenya -- faced criminal charges over a single act of alleged police brutality. The victims filed into a courtroom in February expecting to witness a rare and historic moment of justice.
Instead, they sat in shock as state prosecutors told the court the case was being withdrawn.
"The prosecutor just appeared and said 'I am dropping this'. They were not even required to plead," said Peter Kiama, executive director of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, a non-profit that provided the victims with legal aid.