The High Court in Accra has sentenced Richard Appiah, the footballer and draughtsman convicted of murdering two children in Abesim in the Bono Region, to life imprisonment.
The sentence follows a unanimous guilty verdict by a seven-member jury on two counts of murder. The victims, aged 12 and 15, were killed in 2021 in a case that shocked the community and drew national attention.
Appiah, who was 28 at the time of the crime, had been standing trial since 2022 before the court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey.
Gruesome discovery and investigation
The case first came to light in August 2021, when police in Abesim, near Sunyani, arrested Appiah after discovering the bodies of two boys in his home. Body parts were found in a refrigerator in his living quarters, prompting widespread horror and condemnation.
Police reports indicated that Appiah had allegedly murdered at least two boys, identified in earlier reports as Louis Agyemang (12) — believed to be a stepbrother — and Stephen Sarpong (15) — a family friend’s son.
At the time of his arrest, he was described by some media outlets as a footballer and sports commentator, and various professions were attributed to him, though the Ghana Institute of Architects clarified that he was not a registered architect, contrary to initial reports.
During his time in custody, reports emerged that Appiah insisted on specific foods and exhibited unusual behaviour, prompting police to seek a psychiatric evaluation as part of the investigation.
Court proceedings
The trial encountered procedural delays, including adjournments caused by issues such as juror absences.
Despite these challenges, the prosecution presented evidence linking Appiah to the killings. After hearing the case, the seven-member jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on two counts of murder. At sentencing, the High Court imposed a life sentence, reflecting the severity of the offence.
Justice Aryeetey oversaw the proceedings, which highlighted not only the brutality of the crimes but also the persistent concerns about community safety and the need for robust investigative and judicial processes.
Background
Richard Appiah is believed to have been cooking for the victims and showing them some affection, and through that supposed kindness, he was able to lure them and subsequently kill them in turns.
He is said to have initially denied knowledge of the whereabouts of Louis Agyemang, the boy who went missing. The police discovered the intestines of the victims buried on a cocoa farm.
A police statement indicated that, “The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters team investigating the Abesim murder case has yesterday, Tuesday, August 24, 2021, discovered a place where suspect Richard Appiah buried the intestines of one of the murder victims.”
The statement, signed by ACP Kwesi Ofori, acting Director-General, Public Affairs, explained further how the police also found a sharp cutlass used in the murder, as well as where the body parts were buried.
“The intestines were buried on a cocoa farm at Abesim, which the police have since exhumed for pathological analysis and forensic examination in Accra,” the statement pointed out.
The investigation team has also worked around a septic tank and other places of concern for further examin
