Boy ‘killers’: Court orders suspect to file defence

Justice Agbenorsi Feb - 03 - 2022 , 09:34

The High Court is expected to take the pleas and officially commence trial of the two teenagers who allegedly murdered an 11-year old boy in Kasoa for money rituals.

It has given one of the accused, Nicholas Kwame Kani, 21 days to file documents proving his absence from the crime scene.

This was after Kani had denied his involvement in the murder of the 11-year-old boy indicating that he would rely on an alibi defence.

This was contained in the bill of indictment prepared by the Attorney-General after which the accused were committed to stand trial at the High Court on charges of murder.

While the juvenile suspect has since confessed to the crime, Kani on the other hand has denied his involvement, adding that he was not at the crime scene.

When the case was called yesterday, the Presiding Judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, informed the court that upon reading the bill of indictment, there was the need for Kani to file his notice of alibi.

The directive by the court is to allow the police ascertain or refute the claim made by Kani.

The presiding judge also ordered the prosecution to serve the defence with their disclosures which included the charge sheets, the facts, the statements of witnesses and the accused persons given at the police station and anything of evidential value which they might rely on at the trial.

That is to afford the accused persons an opportunity and sufficient time and facilities to prepare for their defence.

The case has been adjourned to February 22, this year.

Suspects

The teenagers, a 15-year-old boy (name withheld) and his alleged accomplice, Kani, were on August 16, 2021 committed by the Kaneshie District Court, presided over by Ms. Rosemond Agyiri Duodoo.

The two are said to have murdered Abdallah on April 3, last year for ritual purposes, after they had lured him into an uncompleted building.

They allegedly killed him with a club and a cement block.

Facts

The facts of the case, as presented at the Magistrate court, are that the two teenagers, who lived at Lamptey, had been friends since 2008.

The first accused is said to had been watching television channels which entertained Mallams and other spiritualists to promote their prowess in making people instant millionaires.

The accused, according to the prosecution, made his intention known to Nicholas, who advised that there was a certain spiritualist in the Volta Region who could do it for them.

"The second accused, who does not own a phone, provided the phone number of the said spiritualist to the first accused, who has access to his mother's phone.

"After contacting the said spiritualist, he agreed to help if only they could provide a human being and GH¢5,000 for the rituals," the prosecution said.

According to the prosecution, on Saturday, April 3, 2021, the accused persons settled on Ishmael, 10 years, 11 months, the son of the complainant, Mr. Frank Mensah Abdallah.

The second accused then went to hide in an uncompleted building near the first accused person's house where they planned to carry out their operation.

"The accused persons armed themselves with a club, a piece of cement block and shovel as their weapons, and the first accused, who is close to Ishmael, lured him to the uncompleted building on the pretext that his friend had a video game that he was selling.

Killing

Nicholas, the prosecutor further said, then picked the club and hit Ishmael hard on the back of the neck, while the first accused "used the cement block to hit his head, killing him instantly".

In the course of the act, the prosecution said, the first accused's younger sister, eight, sensed that something was going on so she walked towards the direction of the uncompleted building but was driven away by her elder brother.