Court remands Kumasi hotel ‘killer’; issues bench warrant for wife

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A court in Ghana’s Ashanti region has remanded the suspected killer of a 46-year-old woman into police custody.

A provisional charge of murder has been preferred against Edwin Awuku, 42 —who works as a driver for Ghana’s Central Bank.

The Asokwa District Court has also issued a bench warrant for the suspect’s wife, Belinda Awuku, who was not in court during her husband’s first appearance on Friday, January, 10, 2020.

She is also facing charges of abetment.

Even before hearing began, the family of the deceased, led by the mother, trooped to the venue and were seated in the courtroom to monitor proceedings.

Prosecuting, Chief Supt. Rev. Dr Adane Ameyaw told the court that Edwin Awuku and the deceased, Comfort Owusu Afriyie went to book a room at the Cedar Crescent hotel, located in Kumasi on Wednesday, 1st January 2020 at about 9pm.

Prosecution said the deceased was shot and killed, hours after they had returned to the hotel from outside.

The prosecution continued that Awuku after realizing that the deceased had died, took his phone, the victim’s phone and the pistol home and hid them in his house and informed his wife of the act.

The police say his wife then joined him to go back to the hotel to report that armed robbers had attacked them, leading to the death of one person and Awuku sustaining injuries.

The prosecution stated that upon interrogation, the prime suspect confessed that he killed Comfort Owusu Afriyie.

Prosecution then prayed the court to remand the suspect into custody as the police await an advice from the Attorney General’s office.

The prosecution also prayed the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of Belinda Awuku, wife of the prime suspect who refused to appear in court.

The lawyer for Awuku, Twum Barima denied all the allegations leveled against his client and asked for bail.

The magistrate, Her Worship Rosemarie Afua Asante subsequently remanded the prime suspect into police custody and asked that he reappears on 24th January 2020.

She also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Belinda Awuku who failed to appear before the court.

By Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH