Chief Inspector Isaac Asiedu Odei, the investigator who handled the alleged ritual murder case involving two teenagers at Kasoa has been giving some chilling accounts of how a 10-year-old, Ishmael Mensah Abdalla was buried alive by his friends.

According to the Investigator who is testifying at the Sixth Prosecution’s Witness, his investigation revealed that, “they (accused persons) buried the deceased (Ishmael Mensah Abdalla) while he was breathing (still alive).”

The two teenagers – a 15-year-old juvenile and an 18-year-old young offender (both names withheld) have been charged for the death of Abdalla who is said to be their friend.

Though the 15-year-old admitted the offence while his plea was being taken, the court entered a not guilty plea for him instead as the law enjoins the court for the jury to determine the matter upon full trial.

But, the 18-year-old who together with the 15-year-old have been charged with conspiracy to commit and murder, had denied the charges all along.

Chief Inspector Asiedu Osei, stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters and attached to the Homicide Unit, said when the matter was handed over to him, the two accused “confessed” to him of killing Ishmael Mensah Abdalla.

Chief Inspector Odei, the sixth Prosecution’s Witness in the ongoing trial, had also told the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court that, while the 15-year-old confessed that, the 18-year-old struck the deceased twice with the handle of a pix axe, the latter said he did so only “once.”

Investigations

While being led by the Prosecution to tell the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the Witness who had worked as a police officer for the past 31 years, explained how he interviewed all parties involved.

“Respectfully My Lady, on April 9, 2021, I was the available Investigator on duty at the Homicide Unit and eventually a case of murder of Ishmael Mesnah Abdalla was referred to me for investigation,” he stated.

He said, “Initially, the case was being handled by (one) Detective Chief Inspector Japheth Agyemang of the Kasoa Divisional CID.”

He told the Court that, on April 9, his Unit Director – Chief Superintendent William Sedoame handed over the (case) docket to him for study and for further investigations.

Events at Homicide Unit on April 12

The Investigator said, “On April 12, 2021, Chief Inspector Japheth Agyemang led a team from personnel from Kasoa together with the two accused persons and the parents of first accused person and brought them to our office at the CID headquarters (Homocide Unit) together with exhibits involving this case.”

“My Lady, in the cause of receiving the exhibits and in the presence of Chief Inspector Agyemang and his colleagues, Madam Emilia Donkor and Richard Mesnah – who are the parents of A1 (15-yr-old first accused), I (Investigator) asked the second accused (18-yr-old) as to what he used the wooden handle of a pick axe for”?

According to the Investigator, following his question, the second accused, “willingly confessed in the presence of the people I have mentioned (earlier) that, he used it to hit the deceased (Ishmael Mesnah Abdalla) on the head.”

Contradiction

The Investigator said, because he had earlier read their statements before they were brought to his unit, “I asked him (18-yr-old) how many times he hit the deceased with the wooden handle and he said once.”

This he said, elicited a quick reaction from the 15-yr-old juvenile who said “you (18-yr-old) hit him twice.”

The Witness told the Court that, “there and then, (the 18-yr-old young offender) turned and looked at A1 (the juvenile) then he retorted that you know, I hit him once why did you say I hit him twice?”

Spade, Shovel for grave

Chief Inspector Odei told the Court that, he thereafter, picked both the Spade and the Shovel said to be part of the exhibit used in committing the crime, and “I enquired from A2 as to what he used the shovel and the spade for”

The Witness said, “he (18-yr-old) said they both used it to dig a grave to bury the deceased after they had killed him.”

“I then asked A1 (15-yr-old) as to what he also used both the shovel and the spade for? And he also confirmed having used same to dig a grave and used same to bury the deceased,” the Investigator stated.

The Witness also told the Court that, as part of his investigations, he received pieces of blocks which A1 (juvenile) had confessed in his statement that he used same to strike the head of the deceased.

“When I asked him (juvenile) what he used the cement block for? He said he used the block to strike the head of the deceased,” he added.

Cement blocks

The Juvenile, he said also “disclosed that the first block he used was a full block,” and “Just as he was about to strike the deceased head with it, the deceased who was in the state of unconsciousness due to the wooden handle (the young offender) had hit him with, suddenly (regained consciousness) raised his head and looked straight to his face (15-yr-old) and enquired from him whether he had offended him.”

He added that, the deceased pleaded with him, and “that if he (deceased) had offended him, he shouldn’t kill him, but (they) went ahead to hit him with the block, part of the full cement block broke.

The broken pieces of blocks were also used in hitting him (deceased), the Investigator stated.

Chief Inspector Odei told the Court that, the accused persons struck the forehead of the deceased closer to the left eye and then he (Juvenile) picked one of the pieces of the blocks to hit him again.

Buried alive

The Sixth Prosecution Witness also told the Court that, the juvenile had disclosed that “they buried the deceased while he was breathing (still alive).”

“There were other exhibits involving the dresses of the two accused persons together with some quantity of sand soaked with blood.

“Those exhibits that is their dresses and the sand soaked in blood were kept for forensic examination,” the Investigator told the Court.

Young offender’s confessions

Chief Inspector Odei told the Court that, the young offender (18-yr-old) confessed to the crime and his confession, he said made Chief Inspector Japheth wonder why he (A2) did not disclose (confessed) that to them but waited until they had been brought to the CID headquarters before confessing.

At this point he (Witness) said, the 18-yr-old “never responded to it, and “after receiving them, I paraded (18-year-old) before my unit Director, Chief Supt. William Sedoame and the then Station Officer now a Cardet Officer – Mr Augustus Nkrumah for interrogation.

He told the Court that, “after I was asked to take investigation caution statement from him which I did in the presence of an independent witness in the person of Seth Nyarko.

Probation Officer

The Witness said, “A1 who happens to be a juvenile and because the parents were direct principal witnesses in the case, I was directed to formally write a request letter to the Department of Social Welfare for a Probation Officer.

He said, “on April 21, a Probation Officer in the person of Janet Dzata, was released to me by the department.”

“Eventually in the presence of Janet Dzata – the Probation Officer and Seth Nyarko, the Independent Witness, I took further Caution Statement from A1 (15-yr-old),” he stated.

Teens slept together before fateful day

The Investigator said his investigations, “discovered that A1 (first Accused) slept with A2 (second Accused) in A2’s (young offender’s) room and that was where they had a plan to kill the deceased (Ishmael) the next morning” and on “that fateful day around 8am, A1 (juvenile) came home.”

He said “The house in which A1 (first Accused) lives with his parents is some few meters away from the house of the deceased (Ishmael) who was also living with his parents.”

The Investigator said, “between the period of 9am and 10am, A1 (15-yr-old) went to call the deceased (Ishmael) who was then in a room with his parents to lure him to the scene of crime where A2 (18-year-old young) had already taken cover.”

“The scene of crime happend to be an incompleted building partly roofed,” Chief Inspector Odei stated.

“My Lady, he (15-yr-old) lured him (Ishmael) under the pretext of having bought a video game and that he should follow him for the game so on reaching the scene, A1 who was following the deceased assisted him to climb the window of the uncompleted building and also followed up by climbing the same window.”

Unconscious, communication

“According to him, he had then prepared a sack and had something in it as if the sack contained a video game, so he pointed the sack to him that, that was the video game and in the process of the deceased picking it, A2 who was already armed with a wooden handle of a pick axe struck him and deceased fell unconscious,” the Witness told the Court.

“My Lady, before luring him to the scene, A1 (first Accused) had disclosed that he was in constant communications with A2 (Second Accused) but he couldn’t give the police the contact number of A2 (Second Accused).

The Investigator said, “A2 (Second Accused) who also claimed that he was then using phone but categorically stated that, the phone he was using belonged to a friend by name Wiadom Dzila and a student of His Majesty Great Lamptey Mills Senior High Achool School.”

The Witness told the Court that, the Second Accused, however, said de does not remember the contact of that very friend Wisdom Dzila.

He said, “a formal letter requesting for the records and the releases of Wisdon Dzila was written to the school,” however, “it turns out that there was no body by that name Wisdom Dzila as being alleged by A2 (Second Accused).

Crime scene reconstruction

“My lady, on April 23, 2021, a team of investigators comprising of Homicide and crime scenes management units of CID Headquarters led by Chief Supt. William Sedoame together with the two accused persons, Janet Dzata, the Probation Officer with Department of Social Welfare with the assistance of a team from the Kasoa Divisional Headquarters led by Chief Inspector Japheth Agyemang proceeded to the scene of crime at Kasoa Coka Cola community for reconstruction of the scene,” he stated.

He said, upon the visit, A1 (first Accused) led the team to the room where he had lured the deceased to the scene.

“Both A1 and A2 (first and second accused) demonstrated to the team the actions or part they have played in killing the deceased.

“Incidentally, the police was using a dull to represent the deceased (Ishmael) and both the accused demonstrated how he was lured there and was killed,” he told the court.

The Investigator said, “After killing him, A1 (first Accused) held the head and the neck and A2 (second Accused) held the two legs and carried him to the hollow grave they have dug and eventually buried him.

EIB Network’s Legal Affairs Correspondent, Murtala Inusah reports that, the handle of the pick axe, the spade, shovel, cement blocks and sand soaked with blood allegedly used in committing the crime were all tendered in evidence as exhibits.

Sitting continues on October 24, 2023.