The Kaneshie District Court presided over by Her Lordship Rosemond Dodua Agyiri has for the second time adjourned the case in which three traditional priests have been held for the murder of a 64-year-old Bio-Chemist Edward Quartey Papafio to September 14, 2020.
The three accused persons Christian Awoe Gamelie aka Power-One, 40, Famous Adukonu aka Scorpion, 37, and Yaw Azamate, 27 were present in court. The court did not sit, but the next date was taken in the magistrate’s chambers.
The prosecution led by Detective Inspector Lawrence Anani had earlier told the court that investigations and the analyses of their contacts are still ongoing, as the accused persons were subsequently taken away into remand custody.
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BACKGROUND
The accused of the 64-year-old were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime to wit murder and murder. The three accused have had their pleas preserved when they appeared before the court presided over by Rosemond Dodua Agyiri.
On their first appearance in court, the prosecution led by Detective Inspector Anani said for convenience sake, the Police would prefer that the accused were remanded into Prison custody. The court agreed with the prosecution’s prayer and remanded them into prison custody.
Meanwhile, a bench warrant issued for the arrest of Michael Ahiavinye and one Buzanga who are at large is still in force.
It was the case of the prosecution that the complainant is the Reverend Comfort Ruth Quartey Papafio, who resides at Takoradi in the Western Region. The three accused, operates their business at Adu Kojo and Kwasi Nyarko, all suburbs of Mame Dede in the Eastern Region.
According to him, on January 17, this year, the complainant reported of her missing husband, Mr Quartey Papafio, from his residence at Kasoa on January 15 and on receipt of the complainant, the Police gathered intelligence that the deceased was last spotted at Gameli’s shrine located at the outskirts of Adu Kojo, which led to the arrest of Gameli and Adukonu on April 21, this year.
He told the court that, a search conducted at Gameli’s shrine revealed two pump action guns, one single barrel gun, eleven packets of cartridges, and seven other pieces of the cartridges from his room and two shovels were found hidden at the back of his house.
The Prosecution said during interrogation, Gameli and Adukonu admitted shooting the deceased with the pump-action gun on January 15, this year and buried the corpse at the Shrine.
On April 29, the two led the Police to Power-One herbal/Spiritual Centre where the Police identified the deceased’s grave in a makeshift cemetery behind Gameli’s house, adding that the scene was secured and an exhumation order was obtained from the court for that purpose.
The prosecution said on April 30, this year, a Pathologist in the company of Senior Officers from the CID Headquarters, Personnel from the Crime Scene Management Team, Forensic Science Laboratory, Drone Operation, and CID/ Headquarters Operational Team together with the two accused to exhume the deceased body.
The prosecution said investigations disclosed that on December 29, Gameli, Adukonu, and Azamete conspired to kill Mr. Papafio, hence lured him with the assistance of one Buzanga, also a traditional priest at Kasoa, currently at Large.
The prosecution said before the murder of the deceased, the accused intentionally, made a false statement to the deceased and succeeded in collecting ¢10,650 from him through mobile money under the pretext of conjuring ¢400,000 for him to establish his company.
He said Papafio was invited to the shrine on January 15, this year for purification and in the process, Adukonu shot him with Gameli’s gun.
The accused then drained quantity of Mr. Papafio’s blood into a plastic gallon and hide the same at the shrine while Gameli took possession of the deceased mobile phones and later buried the deceased with the assistance of Azamate and Michael who is also on the run.
The Prosecution said Gameli and Adukonu allegedly confessed to the Police that the blood in the gallon was a mixture of Papafio and another victim who was also buried among other bodies at the cemetery.
The gallon of blood and the body were deposited at the Police morgue for examination, of which the cause of death was given by the Pathologist as hemorrhagic shock, traumatic amputation, and unnatural severe chest pain.
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