Two teenagers on trial for the murder of a 10-year-old boy in Kasoa have been found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The crime, which occurred in 2021, has taken three years for the High Court to conclude the trial and deliver a verdict.
Nicholas Kini, the second accused, who was 18 at the time of the incident, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The first accused, who was 15 at the time, will be sent to a juvenile court for sentencing since the High Court lacks jurisdiction to impose a sentence on him.
Investigators revealed that the first accused admitted during questioning that the plan to kill the boy stemmed from a video he had seen of a spiritualist claiming to help people make money by depositing GH₵5,000.
He confessed to contacting the second accused, who suggested they reach out to the fetish priest. The priest allegedly demanded GH₵5,000 and human blood, leading them to plot the murder of the child to fulfill this request.
Initially, they intended to kidnap the boy and demand a ransom from his parents.
The victim was lured to an uncompleted building under the pretense of receiving a game. There, he was struck on the head with a stick and later hit with cement blocks when he begged for mercy. The child was buried alive, with the pathologist confirming death by asphyxiation.
The prosecution began calling witnesses in March 2023, ultimately presenting seven witnesses, including the victim’s father, the first accused’s family members, and police officers, including the detective who handled the case and the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem.
The victim’s father testified that he had returned home from a work trip the morning before the incident and, after having breakfast, was awakened by screams announcing his son’s death. He found his son’s body in the uncompleted building across from the first accused’s house.
The sister of the first accused reported seeing her brother and Kini at the site but was sent away by the first accused. Suspicious, she informed their mother, who alerted the first accused’s father.
The first accused’s father, Richard Mensah, testified that he discovered the body and that his son confessed to the murder alongside Kini.
Police testimonies confirmed that Kini admitted to striking the child with a club.
The first accused admitted to the murder, pleading guilty to conspiracy but not to murder. In contrast, the second accused, who was 18 at the time, denied all charges, claiming he was not present during the crime and accused the first accused of framing him. He provided his grandfather as an alibi, but the judge noted there was no evidence to support this claim.
The prosecution urged the jury to find both defendants guilty based on the evidence presented, while the defense attorneys requested a not guilty verdict.
Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, in her closing remarks, called on the jury to uphold the conscience of the nation. After deliberation, the seven-member jury returned a guilty verdict for both teenagers.
