Murder suspect pleads for forgiveness
Arku Jasmine
3 minutes read
Family members of Akua Minkah Gyamfi, 39, an administrator at the Larteh Senior High Technical School in the Akuapem North District, burst into tears at the Akropong-Akuapem Circuit Court when her murderer pleaded with the family to temper justice with mercy and forgive him for his action.
“My Lord, I want to plead with the family of Akua to forgive me for my action,” prayed Desmond Nana Darko Alex Safori.
There were spontaneous sighs of “Aaaahhhh” from all the people in the courtroom, signifying their disapproval with Safori’s plea.
The court however, remanded Safori to reappear on September 18, 2013.
Presenting the facts to the court, presided over by Madam Janet Anima Maafo, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Simon Doe Glogah, said the complainants were the school authorities of the Larteh Senior High Technical School.
Akua was an administrator of the school, while Safori, 22 and unemployed, lives at Amanorkrom-Akuapem.
The prosecutor said Akua was alleged to have been in a relationship with Safori for almost one year before her death.
According to Chief Inspector Glogah, about 6 p.m. on June 30, 2013, Safori was seen entering Akua’s room at Larteh by witnesses in the case.
He said the following day, July 1, 2013, some colleagues of Akua complained that they had not seen her throughout the day and that calls they made to her phone did not go through, as her phone was switched off.
Meanwhile, the television set and the sound system in her room were both on and loud.
According to the prosecutor, Akua’s colleagues became alarmed, for which reason they forced the door to her room open, only to see her lying motionless on the floor, with her face covered with a piece of cloth.
The prosecutor said Akua’s Compaq laptop, Asha 200 pink-coloured mobile phone, Vodafone modem and cash of GH¢10,000 which were on her the previous night were nowhere to be found.
A report was, therefore, made to the police and the body was conveyed to the Police Hospital for autopsy.
Chief Inspector Glogah said the autopsy report from a pathologist revealed the cause of her death as “Basic cause traumatic injuries”, while the intermediate cause was multiple injuries, subgakal haematoma and the direct cause was severe cerebral edema.
The prosecutor said on July 3, 2013, Safori pasted on his Facebook wall a picture of himself browsing on Akua’s laptop in the same shirt and pair of trousers that he had worn on June 30, 2013 when he was seen with Akua.
The picture, the prosecutor said, was printed and kept for evidential purposes.
Safori, the prosecutor said, later replaced all his pictures on his Facebook wall with a different image of someone else and went into hiding in Cote d’Ivoire.
He was, however, lured from his hideout by a police detective on September 2, 2013 and finally arrested at Madina Zongo in Accra.
During investigations, Safori admitted murdering Akua and stealing her laptop, mobile phone and modem. He, however, denied stealing the GH¢10,000.
He later led the police to retrieve all the items that he had stolen from Akua’s room.
By Ezekiel E. Sottie/The Mirror/Ghana
“My Lord, I want to plead with the family of Akua to forgive me for my action,” prayed Desmond Nana Darko Alex Safori.
There were spontaneous sighs of “Aaaahhhh” from all the people in the courtroom, signifying their disapproval with Safori’s plea.
The court however, remanded Safori to reappear on September 18, 2013.
Presenting the facts to the court, presided over by Madam Janet Anima Maafo, the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Simon Doe Glogah, said the complainants were the school authorities of the Larteh Senior High Technical School.
Akua was an administrator of the school, while Safori, 22 and unemployed, lives at Amanorkrom-Akuapem.
The prosecutor said Akua was alleged to have been in a relationship with Safori for almost one year before her death.
According to Chief Inspector Glogah, about 6 p.m. on June 30, 2013, Safori was seen entering Akua’s room at Larteh by witnesses in the case.
He said the following day, July 1, 2013, some colleagues of Akua complained that they had not seen her throughout the day and that calls they made to her phone did not go through, as her phone was switched off.
Meanwhile, the television set and the sound system in her room were both on and loud.
According to the prosecutor, Akua’s colleagues became alarmed, for which reason they forced the door to her room open, only to see her lying motionless on the floor, with her face covered with a piece of cloth.
The prosecutor said Akua’s Compaq laptop, Asha 200 pink-coloured mobile phone, Vodafone modem and cash of GH¢10,000 which were on her the previous night were nowhere to be found.
A report was, therefore, made to the police and the body was conveyed to the Police Hospital for autopsy.
Chief Inspector Glogah said the autopsy report from a pathologist revealed the cause of her death as “Basic cause traumatic injuries”, while the intermediate cause was multiple injuries, subgakal haematoma and the direct cause was severe cerebral edema.
The prosecutor said on July 3, 2013, Safori pasted on his Facebook wall a picture of himself browsing on Akua’s laptop in the same shirt and pair of trousers that he had worn on June 30, 2013 when he was seen with Akua.
The picture, the prosecutor said, was printed and kept for evidential purposes.
Safori, the prosecutor said, later replaced all his pictures on his Facebook wall with a different image of someone else and went into hiding in Cote d’Ivoire.
He was, however, lured from his hideout by a police detective on September 2, 2013 and finally arrested at Madina Zongo in Accra.
During investigations, Safori admitted murdering Akua and stealing her laptop, mobile phone and modem. He, however, denied stealing the GH¢10,000.
He later led the police to retrieve all the items that he had stolen from Akua’s room.
By Ezekiel E. Sottie/The Mirror/Ghana