Daniel Obirikwa Adjin, who stabbed his elder brother to death in 2017 at Mamprobi in Accra, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Accra High Court.
Adjin was sentenced after the jury, in a 5-2 decision, returned a guilty verdict at the end of the trial.
“The jury, after a majority decision of 5-2, the accused is hereby convicted on the charge of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment,” the court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, said.
The court informed the convict that he had one month to appeal the sentence at the Court of Appeal.
During the trial, the convict told the court that he committed the act in self-defense. He claimed his brother, William Adjin, attacked him and held his testicles, prompting him (the convict) to stab his brother in the process.
He further attributed his actions to being intoxicated and confused after discovering that his money had gone missing in his room.
The defense counsel for Adjin expressed difficulty in accepting the jury’s decision, but noted that, by law, they had no choice but to respect the verdict.
Opanyin Nye Na, a Senior Attorney and prosecutor, gave some Bible quotations to Adjin and urged him to seek God first and hunger for His word.
The prosecution’s case was that the complainant, Daniel Adjei Adjin, is the son of the deceased, William Adjin, and both were residents of Mamprobi. The convict is also the younger brother of the deceased.
On March 19, 2017, at about 9 p.m., the complainant retired to bed in their bedroom, while his father (the deceased) rested on the porch after finishing his meal.
The complainant stated that he suddenly heard a shout for help from his father, who was struggling with the convict. When the complainant got closer, he noticed that blood was oozing from his father’s collarbone, and the convict was attempting to stab him further with a knife.
The complainant then rushed to aid his father and grabbed the convict’s hand, preventing him from inflicting more wounds.
The complainant shouted for help, and a next-door neighbor, Sister Love, rushed to the scene with others. They attempted to retrieve the knife from the accused, but were unable to because he was holding it firmly, causing the knife to break in the process.
The deceased was rescued and rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Accident Centre for treatment, but about an hour later, the nurses informed the complainant that his father had died from the injuries.
The complainant reported the matter to the police at Mamprobi.
The complainant also indicated that after stabbing the deceased, the convict managed to escape and fled to James Town.
In James Town, the prosecution said the convict, upon seeing the mother and sister of the complainant, picked up something in an attempt to harm them. However, they called for help, and with the aid of people nearby, they managed to arrest the convict and took him to the James Town police station, where he was later transferred to the Mamprobi Police Station.
The post-mortem examination performed by Dr. Lawrence Edusei of the Department of Pathology at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital confirmed the cause of death as “Exsanguination and Multiple Stab Wounds.”
Four witnesses were called by the prosecution to establish the case against the convict.
Source: GNA
