The Cape Coast High Court Two has adjourned the murder case involving a 25-year-old Georgina Asor Botchwey over the illness of one of the accused persons, Michael Darko, a pastor.
The case would be recalled on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, for continuation, by which time a panel would have been formed to fast-track proceedings for justice to be served.
The Presiding Judge, Justice John Mark Nuku Alifo, said this was to enable the court to speed up proceedings by sitting on the case three times in a week.
Meanwhile, Vincent Enyinako, a representative of the Attorney General’s Office, informed the court that Darko had been discharged from the Police Hospital and would be available next week for proceedings to continue.
He explained that Christopher Ekow Clark Quansah (Nana Clark) the other accused person, was not in court on Thursday, February 8, because Darko was indisposed, and prosecution could not transport him alone to the court.
Papa Annan Swanzy, a family member of the deceased, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said though the case had delayed, they were confident that justice would be served.
The fact of the case is that the deceased, Georgina Asor Botchwey, who lived in Yeji in the Bono East Region and an applicant seeking admission at the Ankaful Psychiatric Nursing School in the Central Region, arrived in Cape Coast on Thursday, September 8, 2022, for an interview at the school.
Upon arrival, Botchwey called Darko who was her senior sister’s fiancé and informed him about her presence in the region and her mission there.
Darko then offered to pick her up after her interview at the Nursing School and later arrived in a taxi as had been arranged and sent her to Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, where Nana Clark had parked his Benz Car with registration number GT 8686-C, which she joined.
Quansah then drove them to Akwaakrom near Mankessim, seized the deceased’s iPhone and locked her in a room.
The accused persons went to Asikafo Ambantem, a suburb of Mankessim, where they allegedly dug a hole in an uncompleted storey building belonging to Quansah and went back for the lady and sent her to Asikafo Ambantem.
On September 9, 2022, around mid-day, Quansah and Darko allegedly killed Georgina by hitting her head with a club and when she fell Darko held her neck till she died.
The two allegedly took away some pubic hair of the deceased and left the uncompleted storey building around 0200hours the next day.
A complaint was lodged by the brother of the deceased, Alfred Duodu, with the police after frantic efforts to reach his sister proved futile. The police later picked an intelligence that it was Darko who picked Georgina at Ankaful.
Armed with the information, the police searched for Darko, who was arrested on Friday, September 19, at Anomabo and he admitted to the crime.
He subsequently led the police to where the deceased had been buried and the body was exhumed.
Further police intelligence later led to the arrest of Quansah from his hideout at Ekumfi Akwaakrom and he admitted the crime, stating that they did it for money rituals.
The accused persons were first put before the Cape Coast District Court Two, presided over by Madam Bernice Mensima Ackon, and were charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder and murder.