Man who killed 'side chick' in Kumasi hotel arrested

The 42-year-old boyfriend of a middle-aged woman shot dead in a hotel room in Kumasi last Thursday has been arrested by the Police in the Ashanti Region for the crime.

According to the Police, suspect Edwin Awuku lodged a complaint at the Kumasi Central Police station that armed robbers had attacked the hotel and killed his 46-year-old girlfriend, Comfort Owusu Afriyie, also known as Maame Yaa.

Investigations, however, have revealed the suspect was trying to cover up the crime. “…There was no robbery attack at the hotel”, the police said in a statement issued Tuesday by the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

“Police Investigation into an alleged murder of a woman at the Cedar Crescent Hotel at Danyame, Kumasi indicates that the deceased was shot and killed by the suspect Edwin Awuku, 42, the boyfriend who checked into the hotel with the victim,” it said.

The police say Awuku and the deceased checked into the Ceder Crescent Hotel at Danyame in Kumasi on January 2, 2020 at about 1:00 a.m.

“Whilst in the hotel room, suspect Awuku shot the victim in the chest killing her instantly and he suspects Awuku sustaining injury on his left forefinger in the process”.

He was said to have driven out of the hotel premises unnoticed after the incident.

The police statement said Awuku went straight to his residence at Amakom and informed his wife about the incident. He also dropped the exhibit weapon and his mobile phones at home.

“Both, the suspect and the wife went back to the hotel to raise alarm on the incident, drawing the attention of other persons,” the police said

They later drove to the Central Police Station, where an official complaint of an alleged armed robbery and murder was reported.

Police say they have the Smith & Wesson SD 9mm pistol used to commit the crime as well as an empty shell casing and an Infinix Hot 5 mobile phone from the residence of Awuku.

The suspect, the police say is currently in custody.

A case docket is also being prepared for the Attorney General’s Office for legal advice.