THE District Magistrate Court in Koforidua yesterday remanded in prison custody the spiritualist who is alleged to have murdered a popular 30-year-old businesswoman at Okorase, near Koforidua.
The accused, Joseph Tetteh, 35, alias Mallam, was remanded together with his landlord, Derrick Ameyaw, 28, alias Papa Yaw, whom he suspected to have killed the deceased.
Tetteh and Ameyaw, who have been provisionally charged with murder, are to re-appear on December 17, 2009.
The premises of the court, which was presided over by Mrs Priscilla Yeboah, were filled to capacity by black-clothed relatives and friends of Rita Baah’s, alias Afia Atta, the businesswoman who was murdered on November 15, this year.
The prosecutor in the case, Inspector Patrick H. K. Sackitey, had prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody to enable investigators to carry out further enquiries into the case.
He was of the opinion that the two-week remand would enable investigators to take the two suspects to the Police Hospital in Accra for fluid tests to be conducted on them.
However, counsel for the accused, Mr Alfred Agyei-Mensah, opposed that and rather prayed the court to remand the two in police custody to ensure that he had easy access to them.
The court, considering that the police had recently become a target of public criticism over the frequent death of suspects while in police custody, agreed to put the two in prison custody.
Counsel also prayed the court to prevail on the prosecutor to make available the charge sheet of the case to him to enable him to study it to ensure proper defence of his clients.
Prior to the court sitting, some female relatives of the deceased were seen pointing fingers at Tetteh and verbally threatening him.
According to the facts of the case, the deceased was a trader and resident of Osabene at Mile 50, a suburb of Koforidua, while the suspects lived at Domeabra Junction at Okorase.
The prosecutor said about 1.30 a.m. on November 15, 2009, Nana Semanshia Ohene Ansah Akofa II, the Chief of Ahwerease, called the Koforidua Central Police Station to report that he, in the company of four colleagues of his, was in a vehicle from Akropong-Akuapem to Suhum and that on reaching Okorase he spotted Tetteh with a dead body tied to his motorbike.
He said when Nana Semanshia and his colleagues attempted to confront and arrest the suspect, he abandoned his bike, with registration number GN 8843 Z, and the body of the deceased and ran into the bush.
According to him, investigations revealed that the deceased had been consulting Tetteh for spiritual assistance to enhance her business and marriage.
The prosecutor indicated that on November 14, this year, Rita visited the spiritualist upon a previous appointment to undergo spiritual cleansing at the shrine.
He told the court that Rita was killed by Tetteh about 10 a.m. at the shrine in a house owned by Ameyaw, who also lived in the house.
“The spiritualist waited until 12.50 a.m. on November 15, this year when he wrapped the body of the deceased in a bed spread, tied her onto his motorbike and was going to dump the body near where her fiancé, one Samuel Kwasi Asamani, lived at Osabene at Mile 50, near Koforidua,” Inspector Sackitey stated.
However, Nana Semanshia and his colleagues saw him and attempted to arrest him but he managed to escape to the house to clean the traces of blood in the house. However, on hearing a crowd approaching the house, Tetteh again escaped, but he was arrested at Tei Nkwanta by a mob who nearly lynched him.
He denied killing the deceased, whom he claimed had rather been killed by his landlord and his friend, one Martin, adding that the deceased had earlier informed him that the landlord had proposed to marry her but she refused and he had since been harassing her.
Meanwhile, Rita will be buried in Koforidua on Saturday, December 5, 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment