Prof. Benneh murder: Accused jailed 30 years for abetment

Ebenezer Kwayisi, a mason apprentice, has been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by an Accra High Court for his involvement in the murder of a former law lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Yaw Benneh.

The 28-year-old pleaded guilty to abetment to manslaughter and was handed the sentence by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh on Wednesday, March 20.

Kwayisi, initially charged with abetment to commit murder, opted to plead guilty to abetment to manslaughter under Section 239(2) of the Criminal and Other Offenses (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), after reaching an agreement with the prosecution.

This decision led to a lesser sentence compared to murder.

Following the agreement, the prosecution recommended a 30-year sentence, which the court accepted. Kwayisi will serve his term with hard labour.

The tragic murder of Prof. Benneh occurred in September 2020 at his residence, where he was found dead in a pool of blood with multiple marks of assault on his body.

The prime suspect, James Nana Womba, a cleaner at Prof. Benneh's residence, confessed to the crime but died in police custody on October 17, 2020. Womba implicated Kwayisi as an accomplice in the murder.

Investigations revealed that Womba had planned the murder in August 2020 and enlisted Kwayisi's help two weeks prior to the crime.

Kwayisi admitted to conspiring with Womba to kill Prof. Benneh in his house on September 10, 2020.

GA/SARA

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