The two guys who were detained in connection with the killing of a woman in Mankessim, in the Central Region, told the police they did it as part of ritualistic money-making.
A Cape Coast district court yesterday arraigned Nana Clark, Tufuhen of Ekumfi Akwakrom, and a self-described pastor named Michael Darko on counts of murder and murder conspiracy.
The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Daniel Gadzo, laid out the case’s details in front of Bernice Mensima Ackon at Cape Coast District Court Two. He said both Nana Clark and Mr. Darko, the two defendants, had separately admitted to the police that Georgina had been killed for money rituals.
Their plea of not guilty was not taken by the court.
This is because the district court has no jurisdiction to take their plea in respect of the charges against them.
The court remanded them in police custody to re-appear on October 4, 2022.
Facts
Narrating the facts of the case, the prosecutor, DSP Gadzo, told the court that the deceased, Georgina Aso Botchwey, lived at Yeji in the Bono East Region and had travelled to Cape Coast as part of admission procedures to the Ankaful Psychiatric Nursing School.
The prosecutor said the deceased arrived in Cape Coast on September 8, 2022 and called Darko, who is also Botchwey’s boyfriend, to inform him of her arrival.
DSP Gadzo said Darko arranged and picked Botchwey up on September 9, about midday from the Ankaful Psychiatric Nursing School in a taxi to Pedu Junction in Cape Coast where the two joined Nana Clark who was waiting there in his Benz car with registration number GT 8686-C.
The prosecutor said Nana Clark then drove to Akwaakrom where he seized the deceased’s mobile phone and locked her up in a room.
He further said the accused persons then went to Esikafoambantem, a suburb of Mankessim, where they dug a hole in an uncompleted storey building belonging to the chief.
The murder
DSP Gadzo also told the court that the two accused persons then went back for the deceased and sent her to Esikafoambantem where Nana Clark allegedly hit the deceased and she fell.
“Darko then held the neck of the deceased till she died,” the prosecutor said.
He said the two men then took the hair of the deceased, buried her in the already prepared shallow grave and left the uncompleted storey building around 2 a.m.
Complaint
DSP Gadzo said a complaint was lodged to the police by the brother of the deceased, Alfred Duodu.
He said police picked up intelligence and started looking for the accused persons and on September 19, 2022, arrested Darko at Anomabo where he admitted to the crime and subsequently led the police to where the deceased had been buried.
DSP Gadzo further told the court that the police then picked up Nana Clark at his hideout at Ekumfi Akwaakrom on Wednesday (Sept 21) who also admitted to the crime.
The prosecutor prayed the court to allow them some time to conclude their investigations and thus asked that the accused persons be remanded.