The suspect
A chilling tale of betrayal and deceit has led to the conviction and sentencing of a driver, Otis Kwadwo Antwi, to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of a 35-year-old auto sprayer, Emmanuel Okai.
The High Court in Accra delivered the verdict after a seven-member jury panel returned a unanimous guilty verdict against the accused.
The case, which has been ongoing since 2015, took a dramatic turn when the prosecution presented overwhelming evidence that linked the accused to the crime.
According to the prosecution, the accused and the deceased had been friends and business partners, but their relationship turned sour when the accused became obsessed with the deceased’s Toyota Rav 4 vehicle.
On June 6, 2015, the deceased called the complainant to release his unregistered 2010 model Toyota Rav 4 vehicle, which he had put up for sale, to him (the deceased) as he had found buyers in Takoradi.
The prosecution established that the accused and the deceased traveled to Takoradi together, but the deceased never returned.
The deceased’s mutilated corpse was found abandoned on a section of the road between Awunakrom and Mpohor with severe injuries, which indicated that he had been dragged over a distance.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the cause of death was severe hemorrhage due to multiple lacerations.
Investigations led to the recovery of the Toyota Rav 4 vehicle, which was in the possession of one Foster Adjei.
The accused admitted selling the vehicle to Joseph Osei at GH¢50,000, but his claims were inconsistent and contradicted by evidence.
The prosecution established that the accused’s claims of handing over the purchase price to the deceased were false, as the deceased’s corpse was discovered on June 7, 2015, way before the accused’s alleged claim.
In his defense, the accused claimed that he had met with the deceased and handed over the GH₵50,000, being the purchase price of the vehicle, to him.
However, this claim was discredited by the prosecution, which presented evidence that the accused had sold the vehicle to Joseph Osei without the deceased’s knowledge or consent.
The verdict serves as a reminder that justice will be served, and those who commit heinous crimes will be held accountable.
In passing sentence, the presiding judge, Justice El-Freda Dankyi, emphasized the gravity of the offense and the need for the accused to face the full force of the law.
The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment, bringing an end to a case that has been ongoing for nearly a decade.
-BY Daniel Bampoe