Two teenagers standing trial for the 2021 murder of a 10-year-old boy in Kasoa have been found guilty of both murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The High Court, after a three-year trial, handed down a life sentence to the second accused, Nicholas Kini, who was 18 at the time of the crime.
The first accused, who was 15, has been referred to the juvenile court for sentencing due to his age.
The tragic crime unfolded after the first accused admitted to authorities that the plan to kill the young boy was influenced by a video of a spiritualist promising wealth in exchange for GH¢5,000 and human blood. The teenagers plotted to kidnap the boy, demand ransom, and fulfil the fetish priest’s requirements.
The victim was lured to an uncompleted building under the pretence of receiving a game. Once there, he was brutally attacked with a stick and cement blocks after pleading for his life.
He was buried alive, and a post-mortem confirmed that suffocation was the cause of death.
During the trial, seven witnesses, including the victim’s father and police officers, provided testimony that played a crucial role in the case. The court heard how the victim’s body was discovered by his father after a frantic search, and both accused were implicated in the gruesome crime.
While Nicholas Kini denied involvement and claimed he was elsewhere at the time of the murder, the jury found his alibi unconvincing. After careful consideration of the evidence, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict for both murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Kini was sentenced to life imprisonment, while the first accused awaits sentencing in the juvenile court.