Crime & Punishment of Monday, 12 December 2016

Source: GNA

Alleged wife killer secures counsel

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Thomas Kofi Owusu, a block manufacturer, who reported to the Police at Amasaman that he had killed his wife and injured his step son after locking them in a room has now secured the services of a counsel.

Owusu is alleged to have smashed the heads of the deceased and her son with a hoe several times following a misunderstanding.

At the District Court in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Thomas Obeng announced himself as counsel representing Owusu.

However, Owusu was not brought from lawful custody to the court. Prosecution was also absent.

The matter was therefore adjourned to December 20 to enable Owusu reappear before the court presided over by Mr Worlanyo Kotoku.

Owusu aged 56 who is being held for murder and causing harm had his plea reserved.

Earlier, the case as presented by the prosecutor Deputy Superintendent of Police Mawunyo Nanegbe was that Faustina Esinu Owusu aged 40 years was the wife of Owusu and they had been married for the past four years.

Owusu and Faustina lived at Danchira, near Amanfrom in the Greater Accra Region.

According to the prosecutor, accused and Faustina lived with the victim Benedict Agboada, the son of the deceased and Comfort Akoto, niece of the deceased aged 13 years.

On October 30, this year at about 8:30 pm, Owusu went to Amasaman Police station and reported that he had killed his wife Faustina and injured his step son Agboada and locked them up in their room.

Prosecution said the Police immediately arrested Owusu and escorted him to his house and found his wife dead in a pool of blood in their living room while his step son, Agboada also was found lying beside her mother with severe wounds to head and gasping for breath.

According to the Prosecutor, Agboada was rushed to the Amasaman government hospital for treatment and later transferred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he is receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit.

DSP Nanegbe said the body of Faustina was initially deposited at the Police Hospital but has since been transferred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Morgue awaiting autopsy.

Prosecution said Owusu in his investigation caution statement admitted killing his wife and causing harm to his step son.

According to the prosecutor preliminary investigations conducted revealed that on October 30, this year at about 8:00 pm while the couple were retiring to bed, a misunderstanding ensued between them in their bedroom.

In the process, prosecution said Owusu pulled deceased from the bed room to their living room and hit her head with a hoe several times till she fell unconscious and died.

Not satisfied with the act, Owusu hit his step son’s head with the hoe and become unconscious.