Trial of serial killer begins

A High Court in Accra on Tuesday swore in a seven-member jury to begin hearing a case in which Charles Ebo Quansah is accused of murdering one Akua Serwa, a 24- year-old hairdresser in Kumasi.

The Prosecution led by Mr Anthony Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney, told the court presided over by Mrs Justice Agnes Dordzie that it intended to call 11 witnesses in the trial. Five of them gave evidence at Tuesday's proceedings.

They were Mr Salifu Busanga, a labourer of National Sports Council in Kumasi, Miss Cynthia Nyarko and Miss Adwoa Brah, both sisters of Akua Serwa, Mr Philip Kwabena, a barkeeper and the ex-boy friend of the deceased and Detective Inspector Kwadwo Fordjour, Investigator in the case, formerly of the Buffalo Unit of the Police in Kumasi but now stationed at Tarkwa.

Led in evidence by Mr Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney, Mr Busanga said on 20 January 1996 at about 0800 hours he reported at work and decided to inspect a newly constructed kiosk behind the Kumasi Sports Stadium, where he found the deceased lying on the ground. He said he reported the matter to his officers, who accompanied him to the Asokwa Police Station to lodge a compliant.

Miss Nyarko and Miss Brah said that their sister left home on 19 January 1996 at about 2030 hours with her friend, Miss Adwoa Agyeiwa but she did not return, until five days later that they heard rumours that a beautiful lady had been murdered and dumped around the Kumasi Sports Stadium.

They said they went to the Asokwa Police Station where their sister's name was mentioned. They also went to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where the mortuary attendant showed the body of the deceased to them and they identified her as their sister.

Mr Kwabena said on 19 January 1996 at about 2200 hours he was at the Beiginia Spot near the Sport Stadium, where he worked as a barkeeper, when Serwa and Agyeiwa visited him. He said he was then busy attending to customers so he could not pay attention to them so he rather set a table with food for them and that they later requested for bitter lemon drink.

Mr Kwabena said at that time a funeral was being held nearby so after the drink they informed him that they were going to the funeral grounds. They returned later and Agyeiwa informed him that Serwa wanted to go home.

He said he rushed from the counter and called the deceased three times, but she snubbed him and left Agyeiwa behind. Mr Kwabena said Agyeiwa waited until he closed at 5:30am and both of them left the bar. He went to Serwa's house and he was told that she did not return from town. He said some days later he heard from Miss Nyarko that Serwa was dead.

The fifth prosecution witness, Detective Inspector Fordjour said on 20 January 1996, he was on duty at the Asokwa Police Station, when Busanga came to report a case of murder and the Station Officer referred the case to him for investigation. He, therefore, invited Constable Tetteh, a photographer of the same station, to accompany him to the scene of the murder.

He said when they got to the scene, he saw a beautiful lady lying supine. She was wearing a yellow blouse with a skirt and lying by her side were a torn pants, T-shirt, an empty Schnapps bottle, a pair of rubber slippers and cloth. Inspector Fordjour said he instructed Constable Tetteh to take pictures of the deceased. They later conveyed the body to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

Detective Inspector Fordjour said in the course of his investigations he took statements from the witnesses. He said Dr O. T. Owusu, a pathologist, who performed the post-mortem declared that the deceased's death was unnatural.

Quansah is alleged to have confessed to murdering eight women in Accra and Kumasi. On 15 March, an Accra Community Tribunal committed Quansah to stand trial at the High Court for murdering Serwa, a 24 year-old hairdresser in Kumasi. The Prosecution said the accused befriended Serwa in 1996, while in Kumasi, where he strangled her after a drinking spree at a drinking bar, near the Kumasi Sports Stadium.