The Accra High Court’s Criminal Court 1 has handed down a life imprisonment sentence to Richard Appiah, the defendant in the Abesim murder trial.
The verdict follows a unanimous guilty decision by a seven-member jury, delivered after the prosecution and defence presented their cases.
Richard Appiah, a former footballer, was accused of killing two children in Abesim, Bono Region, and storing one of the bodies in a refrigerator. Justice Ruby Aryeetey presided over the case, summing up the proceedings before the jury’s verdict on February 25, 2026.
The incident dates back to August 2021, when 12-year-old Louis Agyemang Jr and 15-year-old Stephen Sarpong were murdered.
The accused, who played for Okumapem FC, was charged with their murders after the bodies were discovered in his locked room, one in a refrigerator. A pathologist testified that the cause of death was strangulation for one boy and severe blood loss for the other.
Although Appiah admitted to the killings, his defence argued that he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time and did not comprehend his actions.
The defence cited psychiatric evaluations declaring him unfit to stand trial initially. Conversely, the prosecution maintained that Appiah acted intentionally, pointing to evidence of body concealment, attempted evidence destruction, and participation in search efforts to deflect suspicion.
The prosecution presented five witnesses, while Appiah testified and called his father as a witness.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
