A man accused of attempting to murder his wife has been found guilty for shooting the pregnant woman in her sleep.

The verdict comes after a seven-member jury made up of six men and a woman found Effort Dankwa guilty of attempted murder.

In 2015, the victim, Benita Dankwa, was shot by her husband Effort Dankwa at close range to her chest while she was 8 months pregnant, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down.

The incident which was reported to the police at the time has now received justice after almost eight years. Effort Dankwa, who is now 36 years old, was arrested after police investigations identified him as the prime suspect.

His wife, Benita was 29 years old at the time the incident occurred.

The judge sitting on the case had ordered that Effort Dankwa be placed in police custody awaiting his sentencing on March 14, 2023 after the seven-member jury reached a 5-2 verdict.

Benita’s parents who were present when the verdict was reached expressed their joy that justice had finally been served.

“It is not the number of years he is going to spend in prison that matters to me, but the fact that he has been proven guilty is my main interest. I am satisfied and okay with the court,” Benita’s father, Seth O.S. Yirenkyi, told journalists.

Her mother on the other hand said, “My heart is at peace and comforted by God’s word that patience begot victory. Jehovah is a lover of justice. If, after all these years, they have investigated and found that he is guilty, then that is God’s verdict. It isn’t that I am happy nor sad. My daughter is forever incapacitated, but the truth has been unveiled.”

A cousin to Benita, @naa_yorks who took to Twitter on March 10, 2023 to announce the verdict wrote, “About 8 years ago, my cousin’s husband shot her in her sleep whiles she was 8 months pregnant, leaving her paralyzed from chest down. The shot was targeted at her chest, definitely wanted to kill her, because he didn’t want a child. Today, he’s been found guilty and wow.”

The tweet has since generated vast reactions.

Meanwhile, when the incident first occurred, Benita was rushed to the Tema General Hospital where her husband failed to admit that his wife was shot in an attempted murder.

She was later referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after doctors on duty at the time noticed the gunshot wound in her chest.

The shooting has since left Benita paralyzed and incapable of passing urine or faecal matter through natural means.

MA/DA