Daniel Obirikwah Adjin, a blacksmith who stabbed his elder brother to death in Mamprobi, Accra, in 2017, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a High Court in Accra.
The convict had been standing trial before the court on one count of murder for killing his elder brother, William Adjin, who he had stabbed six times – one each on his head and neck and four on the back.
Court documents indicate that the deceased was resting on a porch when the convict stabbed him, leaving him in a pool of blood.
The deceased was rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching hospital where he was treated but later pronounced dead from injuries sustained during the stabbing.
A pathology report stated the cause of death as exsanguinations (the action of draining a person, animal, or organ of blood) and multiple stab injuries.
Daniel Obirikwah Adjin pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder but the prosecution after calling four witnesses was able to establish his guilt.
The convict in his cautioned statement to the police had indicated that on March 19, 2017, he returned home from an outdooring drunk and had gone inside his room for money to buy food.
He said he could not find the money in his bag so he came out of his room holding a kitchen knife and shouting on top of his voice, asking who had gone into his room to steal money.
He said as he was shouting, the deceased came out of his room, rushed at him and pushed him to the ground and held his testicles and was squeezing them.
He indicated that as they were struggling on the ground, he did not know how the knife he was holding ended up stabbing the deceased but he realised there was a lot of blood gushing out.
He stated that the deceased started shouting for help and this attracted a lot of people to the scene and people tried to separate them.
Daniel Obirikwah Adjin after committing the offence escaped to James Town where upon sighting the complainant’s (Daniel Adjei Adjin) mother and sister, picked up an object and attempted to hit them with it but they called for help and with the aid of people around, he was arrested.
He was sent to James Town Police Station from where he was later brought to the Mamprobi Police Station.
A 7-member jury after deliberation returned a 5:2 guilty verdict and Daniel Obirikwah Adjin was convicted and sentenced to death by the court presided over by Justice Marie Louise-Simmons.
By Gibrl Abdul Razak