As a Kenyan court, found three police officers and a civilian civilian murder of a human rights lawyer and two other people in June 2016.
The bodies of Willie Kimani, his client and a taxi driver were found after being thrown into a river on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi.
The case provoked national indignation and underlined the many extrajudicial murders and disappearances which were attributed to the Kenyan police
"I am convinced that no other reasonable hypothesis can be made on the basis of the evidence of which me before me, except that of guilt," said Judge Jessie Lesit.
Kimani defended the motorcycle taxi driver Josephat Mwenda who accused the police Fredrick Leliman - one of the three officers found guilty of having fired him without reason during a traffic stop in 2015
Kimani, Mwenda and their taxi driver Joseph Muiruri were seen for the last time on June 23, 2016 in a police station.
Their mutilated bodies were recovered two weeks later in a river at almost 100 km (62 miles) from the city.
Apart from the court, Kimani's widow Hanna said that the verdict had done justice and was "a source of comfort in our hearts, even if that does not bring Kimani".
"At least, Kimani will not be included in the statistics of the people who have been torture, went to kidnapping, tortured and killed without obtaining justice," she said.
Benson Shamala, the director of Kenya of the mission of international justice, where Kimani worked said: "No one should go through what our friends ... have crossed and especially people that people have forced them to protect them . "
The Independent Police Supervisory Authority (IPOA) of Kenya recorded more than 6,000 complaints, according to the data that the agency has collected since its creation 10 years ago, but few officers were prosecuted.
Shamala said Friday's judgment showed that Kenya's justice system was able to "do justice in the event of police violence".
"This historic decision will send a strong message to the police police who abuse their powers that they will be held responsible under the law," he said in a statement.
IJM congratulated prosecutors adding that since the 2016 killings, more than 40 police officers had been found guilty of guilty murder or manslaughter.
The condemnation for the three officers and the civilian, who was as a police informator, will be announced on a later date.
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