Farmer to die by hanging

A 36 year old farmer, Gutua Dambia alias Akwasi Mathew from Kwapong in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region has been sentenced by a Sunyani High Court to die by hanging.

The convict who is now waiting for presidential assent is currently in custody at the Sunyani Medium Prison

The 7 member jury, who tried him, found him guilty of murder and consequently pronounced the death sentence on him.

Prosecuting, Angela Oboshie Abba, a state attorney from the Attorney General’s Department told the court that on the 8th August 2015, one Justice Boapong who is an assemblyman of Kwapong New Town Electoral Area has reported to Kwapong Police that one Kwasi Owusu, 57 alias Kwasi Kitiwaa was missing.

The Prosecutor told the court that Kitiwaa hired Gutua who is a farmer at Kwapong to give him juju (Kitiwaa) to prevent thieves from stealing his fowls at a cottage called Dedekrom near Kwapong. The convict charged GH¢130, a fowl and a bottle of akpeteshi -a locally brewed gin for the service. Kitiwaa however, paid GH¢30 on the spot after a negotiation to pay the balance of GH¢100 during the cocoa season.

Consequently after the rituals on another day, the convict in the company of one Haruna Ibrahim went and demanded the rest of the money from Kitiwaa. A misunderstanding ensued between the deceased and Gutua and Gutua used the hook on his belt to whip the deceased. The deceased’s neighbours who witnessed the incidence got angry and beat up Gutua. Gutua became embittered and went away threatening to teach Kitiwaa a bitter lesson.

She continued that on the same day at about 10:30pm, Gutua secretly went to the deceased’s house while he was asleep and strangled him to death and later tied a rope around his neck and hanged him to the ceiling of the room to make it looked like the deceased had hanged himself.

The Kwapong Police on 14th of August 2015 had information that, an odour was coming out from Kitiwaa’s room and when the door was opened, his body was seen dangling on a rope. The body was sent to Goaso Government Hospital for autopsy and was later released to the family for burial. The pathologists’ report showed that the deceased died of ‘Traumatic Head injury with intra-cranial bleeding’.

The suspect was subsequently arrested and charged for murder after investigations.