Court sentences fetish priest to death for murder

A Koforidua High Court presided by Justice Mrs Cecilia Naa Shormeh Davis has sentenced to death Kwabena Thomas Oduro, a fetish priest, on two charges of murder of Joseph Affenyi Nyame, a student of Kwahu-Ridge SHS, and Michael Ofori Agyepong, a storekeeper.

The accused was also handed a 10-years imprisonment sentence for causing harm with an offensive weapon to Kwadwo Anane, a student of Ngleshie Amanfrom Senior High School near Kasoa.

A seven-member jury unanimously returned a verdict of guilty, on all three counts against the accused, who pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The prosecution, in establishing evidence beyond all reasonable doubt, called nine witnesses including the biological mother and the wife of the accused person who testified against him.

The facts of the case presented to the court by Chief State Attorney Mrs Emily Addo-Okyireh were that in the early part of February 2013, the deceased, Michael Ofori Agyepong informed Kwadwo Anane and Joseph Affenyi Nyame, that the accused at Kwahu-Atwedie could make a charm called ‘for girls’ as well as double money for them.

On February 18, 2013, the three friends set off from Ngleshie Amanfrom to the accused person at Kwahu-Atwedie with a cash amount of GHC1,800 to which the accused collected and promised to double it to GHC 3, 600 for them.

The Chief State Attorney said in the process of performing the spiritual rites, the accused person invited the three to the bush at the outskirts of the town and made them to undress and remain in their boxer shorts only.

He then gave them some fresh eggs and concoctions to drink and they soon became drowsy, afterwards, he butchered all three with a machete and bolted away with their monies and luggage including laptops and mobile phones.

However, Anane was found in the bush alive by a farmer who raised an alarm and he was sent to the hospital for treatment after sustaining machete wounds on the head, face and other parts of the body.

Upon a tip-off, the accused was traced to Batume Junction on the Ghana-Togo border where he was arrested with a laptop and three Nokia phones which victim Kwadwo Anane carried to the accused person’s place.

The accused was subsequently arraigned before the court.