Mason to stand trial over murder of Prof. Benneh

This was after a committal proceedings at the District Court.

Kwayisi is expected to appear before an Accra High Court on July 17, this year for commencement of the trial.

Under the trial by indictment, a seven member jury is expected to be empanelled before the trial could begin.

The accused person is facing a charge of abetment of crime to wit murder.

This follows an advice received by the Police from the Attorney-General’s Office.

Per the advice of the Attorney General, dated March 2, this year, Opambour Agya Badu Nkansah, one of the accused persons, was discharged by the Kaneshie District Court.

“However, Ebenezer Kwayisi, aka, Junior, a 25-year-old mason, should be charged with abetment of crime to wit murder,” the AG’s advice said.

The Court, therefore, discharged Opambour and struck out the charge preferred against him for want of prosecution.

State Prosecutors are expected to call witnesses and rely on several exhibits to prove their case against the accused.

Professor Benneh was murdered at his residence at Agyriganor last year.

The Police had earlier held two suspects, namely, Ebenezer Kwayisi and Opambour Agya Badu Nkansah for their involvement in the murder of the law lecturer, following the death of the prime suspect, James Nana Womba, in Police custody, who was the house boy of the late Prof. Benneh.

The Prosecution told the Court that, Akosua Benneh-Akuffo, the complainant, was the niece of the late Prof Benneh, whilst James Nana Womba, the prime suspect, now deceased, was a cleaner in the deceased’s house at Agyiringanor.

He said Womba’s accomplice, Ebenezer Kwayisi, was a mason apprentice, residing at Kasoa.

Prosecution said, on September 12, last year, at about 0800 hours, the deceased was found lying dead in a pool of blood in a corridor leading to his bedroom.

He said the deceased was lying in prone position with his hands tied behind him with a white rope and his legs also tied with a green rope just below the knees.

The prosecution said examination on the body of the victim revealed multiple marks of assault on the face, with a cloth partly inserted in his mouth.

He said the Police found on the scene a hand glove, a white rope with blood stains and blood stains on the walls.

The prosecution said, Police Crime Scene Management Team examined the scene and lifted a visible blood tainted thumb impression on the wall close to where the victim’s body laid.

Prosecution said on September 21, last year, a post mortem examination was conducted on the deceased’s body and the pathologist gave the immediate cause of death as, “Asphyxiation, Strangulation and suspected homicide.”

Prosecution said on September 13, last year, James Nana Womba, now deceased, was arrested for investigation and his finger prints taken and sent to Finger Print Section of CID Headquarters for examination.

The prosecution said the result from the headquarters indicated the fingerprints captured at the crime scene were identical to that of Womba.

According to the prosecution, Womba confessed to the crime during investigations and mentioned Nkansah and Kwayisi as his accomplices who were later arrested.

Prosecution informed the Court that investigations revealed that during the month of August last year, Womba contacted his accomplices and hatched a plan to murder the victim in his house, so he recruited a gang to execute the plan.

The Prosecution said two weeks later, the deceased, Womba had a change of mind and contacted Kwayisi to assist him execute the plan.

He told the Court that Kwayisi agreed and visited Womba and both discussed in detail how the act was going to be carried out and on September 10, last year, the accused persons allegedly went to the victim’s house and executed their plan by killing the Professor.