The Sekondi High Court Presided over by Justice Richard Agyei Frimpong has sentenced to death two Nigerians, Sam Udeotuk Wills and John Orji for their involvement in the kidnapping and murder of four girls.
The judgement comes after a seven-member jury found them guilty on all the eight counts of the charge of conspiracy to murder and murder.
Justice Agyei Frimpong who reminded the counsel of the two convicts of their right to appeal within a 30-day window, gave the verdict after close to three hours sitting.
The two convicts kidnapped and murdered Ruth Abakah, 19; Priscilla Blessing Bentum, 21; Ruth Love Quayson,18 and Priscilla Koranchie, 15 between July and December 2018 in one of the most talked-about criminal cases in recent times.
Samuel Udeotuk Wills was first arrested in December 2018 over the matter but broke jail days later. He was quickly rearrested and tried for that offence.
On 29th April 2019, he was sentenced to 18 months prison term on two out of the three charges of unlawful escape from lawful custody and destroying public property but cleared on the charge of resisting arrest.
John Orji was later arrested and put before a Sekondi High Court on 12th June 2019.
The two of them appeared together before the High Court on 26th June 2019.
They were subsequently charged with conspiracy and kidnapping.
On 31st July 2019, their plea on the offences of conspiracy and kidnapping was taken and the facts given.
The fact sheet disclosed to the court that the accused person’s Facebook chats revealed coded language on kidnapping and blood sacrifice.
After the discovery of the skeletal remains on 2nd August 2019 and upon further investigations including the results of the DNA samples taken from the families, the accused persons were charged with conspiracy and murder.
In all, 27 witnesses appeared before the court to give statements and also faced cross-examination.
During their statement and cross-examination, both Sam Udeotuk Wills and John Orji denied kidnapping or murdering any of the girls.
Wills however admitted knowing and being friends with two out of the four girls, namely Priscilla Blessing Bentum and Priscilla Mantebia Kurankyi.
Wills also denied his Facebook chat with some of his friends submitted to the court by the investigators as evidence of discussing kidnapping and blood money.
He told the court that Samuel Udeotuk Wills is not his Facebook name but King Samuel.
John Orji on his part denied four of the charge sheets read to him and had his signature, as well as thump print, picked.
He also denied that he told investigators Sam had told him he had killed someone when he visited him in Takoradi.
Orji said all this information didn’t come from him while some were taken under duress.
Source:citinewsroom.com
