Another Spousal Murder

A gun was pulled at dawn, 25 year old Amorkor Tagoe was the target.

Bullets rolled into her neck and life was snuffed out of her by her betrothed husband amid screams of terror.

Five days after a massive demonstration against spousal murders in the country by Sisters Keepers, a coalition of women activists, the Chronicle can report that a 25-year-old hairdresser, Amorkor Tagoe, has been shot dead at Ankwah Drobo, near Nsawam, in the Eastern Region.

According to the bereaved family, Kwame Afoakwah, the suspect, unemployed and in late 20s, lived happily with Amorkor at Ankwah Drobo, until a misunderstanding erupted between them, after Amorkor had accused him of going for another lady.

This made Amorkor to leave her matrimonial home to her stepfather's house, about 200 meters away from where she had lived with her husband.

Chronicle was told that three weeks after Amorkor had left her matrimonial home, Kwame called a family meeting attended by his pastor before the Easter holidays Amorkor was reluctant to continue the relationship, saying that anytime there arose a misunderstanding between them, Kwame threatened to kill her with either a knife or a pair of scissors.

However, the issue was amicably resolved between her and her husband.

On Tuesday, this week, Amorkor went to pack her hairdressing accessories from the saloon, which her husband had rented for her.

Her husband later went into the saloon and demanded a hair dryer he had bought for her.

This resulted in a quarrel in which Amorkor told him that the dryer was in her stepfather's house and that she was going to pick it up for him.

Kwame, on hearing this, locked the door, saying he would not allow her to go and threatened to kill her with a knife if she attempted to go.

In the ensuing struggle, he used a padlock to hit her head.

He later lit a gas stove in the saloon for flame to kill them, but Amorkor's sister, who came to the saloon in search of her sister, smelt the fire and forced the door open.

Kwame escaped after the incident.

Chronicle learnt that the next day he gave a letter to his pastor to be given to his brother called Boahene.

Contained in the letter was the message that he was going to commit suicide and that they should collect monies from those owing him.

He resurfaced in the afternoon of the same day, and went to look for his wife twice at her stepfather's house, but he did not meet her, and was told that she had gone to Accra.

The next day, at 4 am, Kwame, accompanied by his sister, Baby, went back to the house to Amorkor to collect some dirty clothes he had given her to wash, but they could not meet Amorkor .

An hour later he, together with his sister, went to the house the second time, but a short distance away from the house he asked his sister to wait for him.

With his gun ready, he went to Amorkor's door and knocked.

When Amorkor opened the door, he pressed the trigger and the woman fell dead.

Kwame then turned the gun on himself and tried to blow his head but he was unsuccessful at the suicide attempt.

Kwame's sister, on hearing the gunshot, rushed to the scene, screaming for help, which attracted quite a crowd in no time.

Before the Nsawam police could reach the spot Amorkor was dead, while her husband lay in his own blood.

Her body has been deposited at the Police Hospital, Accra, for autopsy, but Kwame is reported to be responding to treatment at the Nsawam Government Hospital where he is under police guard.