Accra, Aug. 17, GNA – Two teens facing prosecution for the murder of 10-year-old Ishmael Abdallah Mensah at Kasoa in the Central Region, have also confessed to killing a pregnant woman.
The 15-year-old mason apprentice told the Kaneshie District that he and his 18-year-old accomplice killed the pregnant woman a long time ago.
He broke down amidst the confession at the committal proceedings at the District Court.
The Minor said the ghost of the Ishmael Abdallah Mensah had asked him to confess to the crime hence his action in court.
The accused persons have been committed to stand trial at the High Court on Monday September 20.
The state says it intends to call six prosecution witnesses to make their case. The 18-year-old also informed the court that he could be calling two witnesses to prove his Alibi.
At the District court on Monday, August 16, this year, the 15-year-old mason apprentice whose narration was not different from the facts presented by the Police, said the plan to kill the 10-year-old was from his 18-year-old accomplice, a student.
The minor said his accomplices gave him “wee” or cannabis a day before the incident.
According to the Minor, they failed to kill the 10-year-old in their first attempt.
He admitted that he took a phone number of a spiritualist who asked them to provide a human being for sacrifice and cash in the sum of GH¢5,000.00 so they could get a lot of money.
Explaining further, the minor said a call from the deceased mother saved him when they tried to carry out their first plan.
According to the minor, it was his 18-year-old accomplice who asked that they should lure the deceased into an uncompleted building and kill him, adding that the Spiritualist they had contacted on phone informed them that he would ask his boys to pick the body up.
He said when he lured the victim into the uncompleted room, they asked the victim to bring out a “game” placed in a sack.
The juvenile murder suspect who is a school dropout, said as soon as the victim bend down to pick up the said game, his 18-year-old accomplice hit the victim from behind with a club and he fell.
“The victim could not talk. We then dragged him when he started making noise. My friend (his accomplice) struck him again and my sister heard the noise.
I picked up a cement block in my bid to smash the victim’s head and he (victim) asked me why I was doing that to him,” the minor said.
According to him, the victim was still breathing so they dug a hole and placed the victim there.
The minor said after covering him with sand, the victim was stilling breathing so they packed cements blocks on him (Victim)
“Whiles arranging the cement blocks on the victim, we heard his mother calling him to go and pick a bucket of water. I went and brought the water. My father saw me and he interrogated me about by actions.”
The minor told the court that he had committed a similar act before, involving a pregnant woman, adding that “If the second accused will not tell the truth. I will say it all.”
The minor’s 18-year-old accomplice has however denied the offence and the Court observed that he had given two conflicting accounts of the incident to the court and the Police.
The 18-year-old student told the court to admit into evidence what he had said in open court.
He told the court that he was going to prove his Alibi by providing two witnesses.
Defense Counsel, Mr Samuel Atuah said he would “save his comments for now based on the confession of the minor.”
The Court presided over by Ms. Rosemond Agyiri Doudu ruled that, “Based on the testimony before me, I deem it necessary to commit you to stand trial at the High Court.”
The prosecution led by Nana Adoma Osei, a Senior State Attorney, during the committal proceedings showed exhibits from the crime scene including pieces of cement block, spade, a shovel and photographs.
The case of the two teens was transferred from the Central Region to the Kaneshie District Court by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.
The accused were charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder of Ishmael Abdallah Mensah.
On April 3, this year, accused lured the victim into an uncompleted building and killed him with a club and piece of cement block.
GNA