Prof. Benneh’s murder: Mason Apprentice sentenced 30 years to jail
The court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, sentenced Kwayisi after he pleaded guilty to abetment to manslaughter.
The Accra High Court handed down a 30-year prison sentence to Ebenezer Kwayisi, a mason apprentice, for his involvement in the murder of former University of Ghana law lecturer, Professor Emmanuel Yaw Benneh.
The court presided over by Justice Mary Maame Ekue Yanzuh, sentenced Kwayisi after he pleaded guilty to abetment to manslaughter.
Instead of facing a murder charge, Kwayisi opted to plead guilty to abetment to manslaughter under Section 239(2) of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), following an agreement with the prosecution. This agreement allowed him to receive a lesser sentence than that of murder.
The murder of Prof. Benneh occurred in September 2020 at his residence. The prime suspect, James Nana Womba, a cleaner at the lecturer's residence, confessed to the murder but died in police custody during the trial. Prof. Benneh was found dead with multiple assault marks, hands and legs tied, and a cloth inserted into his mouth.
During investigations, it was revealed that Womba had planned the murder and enlisted Kwayisi's help to carry it out. Kwayisi confessed to conspiring with Womba to kill Prof. Benneh, leading to his arrest and subsequent sentencing by the court.
