The Wa district court was full to the rafters. Hardly was there even a blade space to walk through the crowd in the courtroom hearing the case of the murder of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, aka Jirapa Dubai owner, Eric Johnson.
Leading the prosecution, Chief Superintendent of Police, Abdulai Amadu Alichewu, first informed the court of the change in the charge sheet.
He also prayed the court for four of seven of the suspects to be discharged and acquitted.
Mr Amadu Alichewu concluded by saying that the prosecution has incontrovertible evidence showing that the prime suspect, Eliasah Mahama Akpanyikye connived with his girlfriend, Belinda Miller to kill Mr Johnson.
The court presided over by Maxwell Maxbrain Titiriku remanded Mr Mahama Akpanyikye to prison custody whilst Miss Miller and Kweku Kumbata are to be in police custody to reappear on April 15.
Mr Akpanyikye who was the former human resource manager of the Hotel was sacked on February 9, together with his girlfriend who was a front desk officer at the facility and four others.
He was sacked for allegedly having multiple sexual relationships with more than four female employees of the hotel which resulted in fighting and unhealthy rivalry among the female workers, thereby impeding work at the hotel.
The hotel management later rescinded the decision to sack 26-year-old Belinda Miller who is a national service person.
The prosecution further disclosed that Eliasah Mahama Akpanyikye entered the private residence of Eric Johnson on the night of February 10, scaling the fortified fenced wall with the aid of an aluminium ladder.
Available phone records to the police indicated that he placed several calls to Belinda Miller whilst at the private residence asking her where he could locate the master key to Mr Johnson’s room.
Eliasah Mahama entered Mr Johnson’s room and stabbed him multiple times leaving him naked and in a pool of blood.
The prosecution revealed that he also took an unspecified amount of money from the room and his private Nissan car key which he used to go out of the crime scene and later abandoned the car at Jirapa Zongo.
The prosecution also told the court that Eliasah Mahama on the evening of February 10, left another girlfriend, Laureate Asare in his room with the pretext of going to buy her food.
Miss Asare slept off when she saw no sign of his boyfriend, only waking up to see him wearing a towel.
When Loretta asked Eliasah where the food was, he said he could not buy it because he forgot to pick money along with him.
She realised that there was a cut in his hand which was bandaged. As curious as she was, she asked what was the cause.
Eliasah responded that he got injured after the door forcefully closed on his hand.
He, however, told the police upon investigation that he got injured when he was cutting vegetables to prepare food.
The prosecution in its evaluation revealed that the first accused was not left-handed and could not have cut his right hand while cutting vegetables.
He, however, left the Jirapa town during the wee hours of the morning to Takoradi where he was arrested and airlifted to Wa.
Mr Amadu Alichewu said that they have incontrovertible evidence showing that the prime suspect, Eliasah Mahama Akpanyikye connived with his girlfriend, Belinda Miller to kill the CEO of Jirapa Royal Cosy Hills Hotel.
The court asked the prosecution to liaise with the Office of the Attorney General to speed up investigations.
