Alleged MP killers’ case adjourned to May 16

A Defence Counsel for the two alleged killers of the late J. B. Danquah Adu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa North has prayed an Accra High Court for a firm date so that jury would be empanelled and his address be taken by the court.

Mr Muneeru Kasim, who held brief for Mr Augustines Obuor, the substantive attorney, said they have just received a hearing notice and his instructions were that he should take a date for empanelling of the jury and his address.

Ms Sefakor Batsa, a Senior State Attorney, said they were ready for the trial.

The Court presided over by Mr Justice L.L. Mensah, a Court of Appeal judge, sitting with additional responsibility, adjourned the matter to May 16 for the trial to commence.

Appearing for the first time before the High Court on April 28, it was noted that the state attorney assigned to the court had officially written to it indicating that state attorneys were undergoing a training programme as such could not be in court.

However, when the court asked the accused persons about their concerns, Asiedu told the court that he has not heard from his lawyer Mr Augustine Obuor and could also not get access to him.

In the case of Vincent Bosso, he still stood by the assertion that he was innocent and was only picked up by the police.

The court told Bosso that he would be given the opportunity to speak when the time comes.

The court informed the accused persons to alert their lawyer of the new dimension in the matter so that they could appear in court.

It further asked the case investigator to assist the accused persons to get in touch with their relations.

On March 15, this year, the Accra Central District Court committed Daniel Asiedu aka sexy Dondon and Vincent Bosso aka Junior Agogo to stand trial at the High Court.

This was after they were served with the bill of indictment and summary of evidence.

Asiedu has been charged with murder, conspiracy to rob and robbery. His accomplice, Bosso, is being held on a charge of conspiracy to rob.

At the District Court, Asiedu, who has given seven different statements on different dates to Police, denied killing the late MP.

At the District Court Asiedu gave different account on how he was picked up by the Police at Agbogboloshie.

He admitted that he deals in the sale of mobile phones at Agbogboloshie and he sometimes engaged in swapping of mobile phones at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

According to the court based on the inconsistencies in the statement of Aseidu, it was committing him to stand trial.

Asiedu’s accomplice, Bosso, who intermittently wiped off his tears, admitted that he and Asiedu decided to embark on a robbery spree on February 8, 2016.

He said they all travelled to East Legon, however, they parted ways over a disagreement over which house they were to rob.

According to Bosso, Asiedu took from him some weapons such as the cutter and knife from him and he (Bosso) boarded a car and left the vicinity.

Mrs Yvonne Attakorah Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), told the District Court presided over by Mr Stephen Owusu that Asiedu resides at Agbogboloshie and Bosso is his friend.

She said the deceased Joseph Boakye Danqauh Adu was the MP for Abuakwa North Constituency in the Eastern Region.

Mrs Obuobisa said Asiedu had held discussions with Bosso on undertaking some robbery acts and on February 8, last year, at about 2330 hrs, Aseidu and Bosso armed themselves with various implements such as a screw driver, a cutter, and knife and left Agbogboloshie to East Legon to actualise their plan.

The accused persons, she said, walked around to see which house they were going to rob and eventually selected the house of the deceased as a targeted option.

Mrs Obuobisa said Bosso did not agree with the selection and this resulted in a misunderstanding between the two.

The misunderstanding was so sharp that Asiedu asked him (Bosso) to hand over all the tools and they parted ways.

Mrs Obuobisa said Asiedu entered the house of the deceased and noticed that there was light in the MP’s bedroom upstairs and more so, he could not enter the room through the window easily.

She said Asiedu looked round for a ladder and with the aid of it he climbed onto the porch and entered through the window.

Meanwhile, around that time 2340 hrs, the deceased went to bed and Asiedu on seeing lights off in the deceased’s room, entered and began to search the room. In the process, the MP woke up and attempted to stop Asiedu.

Mrs Obuobisa said Asiedu, who had a knife stabbed the deceased several times in the neck and chest. The MP bled and collapsed.

Mrs Obuobisa explained that while Asiedu was stabbing the MP, he (Asiedu) also sustained various cuts in his palm and chest.

Asiedu found in the room three mobile phones and he escaped through the adjourning house and fled the area.

The DPP said a security man in the deceased house later found that the ladder was on the wall to the deceased room. The security man raised an alarm and he and other occupants in the house entered the MP’s room and saw the deceased in a pool of blood.

Mrs Obuobisa said autopsy report indicated that the MP died of excessive bleeding. When Asiedu returned to Agbogbloshie, he requested for some warm water to dress his wounds and took the deceased phones for unlocking.

Whiles unlocking, the DPP, said a witness saw blood stains and he got alarmed.

The witness waited until he heard the news about the death of the MP and saw that the pictures on the deceased phone matched those that had been displayed in the media.

The DPP said blood samples were taken at the crime scene and finger prints lifted at the crime scene were identical to Asiedu, DNA analysis conducted also marched with Asiedu and the deceased.

In the case of Bosso, he allegedly conspired with Aseidu to embark on the act.

Prosecution has tendered a post mortem report of the MP, Forensic DNA Report, Blood stained T-shirt of Asiedu, a knife used by Asiedu, the three Iphones of the deceased.

Asiedu’s pair of slippers which he left at the crime scene, his prison records, and radiology report determining his age, his medical report has also been tendered. 

The court has remanded the accused persons into prison custody.

Source: GNA