The mortal remains of the murdered Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Cosy Hills Hotel in Jirapa (Jirapa Dubai) were interred on Saturday, June 1, 2024, after a requiem service.

The 60-year-old Mr. Eric Johnson is survived by three children, including Grace Johnson, Karen Johnson, and Elfreda Erica Johnson, as well as two grandchildren.

The service, held at Nayiri Park in Jirapa in the Upper West Region, attracted family, friends, and well-wishers following a traditional mourning held on May 31, 2024.

Background

Mr. Eric Johnson, a businessman, was stabbed to death by unknown assailants at his home on February 11, 2024, and was found in a pool of blood the following morning, according to a police situational report.

The motive behind the heinous act is still unknown, but seven individuals, including staff of the hotel, have been arrested and are assisting the police with their investigations.

The suspects include Dookuuri Fausta, Braimah Kasim, Beyuo Felix, and Michael Klugey, all workers at the Cosy Hill Hotel, and Kumbata Kwaku.

The others, Charles Tuoze and Favour Nuobe, are also employees of Cosy Hill Hotel.

Meanwhile, the latest forensic investigations by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service indicate that suspect Elisha Mahama, a Human Resource Manager who had worked at the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, is the likely perpetrator of the gruesome murder of Mr. Eric Johnson, who was the owner and CEO of the facility until his death.

According to Loretta Asare, the girlfriend of Mr. Elisha Mahama (also a suspect), Mr. Mahama left home on Saturday, February 10, 2024, under the pretext of going to get some food but returned at 2:20 am on Sunday, February 11, 2024, without it, explaining that he had forgotten to take money with him. Notably, the suspected murder of Mr. Eric Johnson was discovered on the morning of February 11, 2024.

The CID's thorough investigations reveal that "latent impressions lifted from a glass wine shelf in the main living room of the deceased are identical in every aspect to the left middle fingerprint of suspect Elisha Mahama on his CID form."

Furthermore, "the investigative reports also indicated that blood-tainted footprints have been found to be similar to those of suspect Elisha Mahama on his plain sheet."

It has also been established that Mr. Elisha Mahama was on the premises of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel because he made a call to Belinda Millah, another suspect, from the coordinates of the hotel. The call lasted nine minutes.

Given that the cause of Eric Johnson's death has been determined to be asphyxiation, strangulation, suspected homicide, and severe blood loss, a 'mysterious' injury on Mr. Elisha Mahama's right middle finger on Sunday, February 11, 2024, also suggests a likely struggle with the deceased. According to suspects Ms. Loretta Asare and Joshua Tabiri, the injury appeared only on February 11, 2024.

These findings position Mr. Elisha Mahama as the prime suspect who may have collaborated with others to execute the murder of the respected entrepreneur.