The High Court hearing the case involving the death of a 10-year-old boy in Kasoa has found two teenagers standing trial for the murder guilty of both murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The minor was murdered in 2021, and the case has since been pending.
The court delivered its final verdict on the matter by sentencing the second accused person.
Nicholas Kini, who was 18 at the time of the incident, to life in prison.
The first accused, who was 15 years old when the crime occurred, has been referred to the juvenile court for sentencing as the High Court lacks jurisdiction to sentence minors.
The first accused, according to investigators, confessed through an interrogation that the plan to kill the victim came after watching a video of a spiritualist who promised wealth in exchange for GH¢5,000 and human blood.
He then contacted the second accused, Nicholas Kini, who suggested they consult the fetish priest.
The priest allegedly demanded GH¢5,000 and human blood. As part of the plot, they first intended to kidnap the boy and demand the ransom from his parents.
They then lured the 10-year-old boy to an uncompleted building by the first accused, under the guise of receiving a game.
Once there, he was struck on the head with a stick and later with cement blocks after pleading for mercy. The boy was buried alive, with the pathologist testifying that the cause of death was suffocation.
In March 2023, the prosecution called its first witness. During the trial, seven witnesses testified, including the victim’s father, first accused’s family members, and police officers. The investigator who investigated the crime and the doctor who performed the post-mortem were both significant witnesses.
The victim’s father stated that he arrived home from a work trip on the morning of the event. After breakfast with his family, including his son, he took a nap, which was startled by his wife’s screams when they discovered their son’s death in an unfinished structure near their home.
The first accused’s sister testified that she saw her brother and Nicholas Kini in the same building but was asked to leave. She later contacted her mother, who then notified her father, Richard Mensah.
Mensah testified that he found the boy’s body and that his son admitted to the murder, implicating Kini as well. According to police testimony, Kini also confessed to beating the victim with a club.
What the accused persons said in Court
The first accused acknowledged his involvement, pleading guilty to conspiracy but not guilty to murder. Nicholas Kini, the second accused, denied his involvement and pleaded not guilty to both accusations.
He claimed he was not at the crime site and gave an alibi, saying he was with his grandfather. However, the court found no evidence to back up this alibi.
Final Address by the prosecution to the Jury
The prosecution asked the jury to convict both adolescents, citing substantial evidence of their roles in both murder and conspiracy. The defence argued for their acquittal.
In summarising the case, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo admonished the jury to carefully weigh the facts and defend the nation’s conscience. Following deliberation, the seven-member jury rendered a unanimous guilty decision on both counts.
Nicholas Kini was condemned to life in prison, while the first accused’s fate will be decided by a juvenile court.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
