An armed robber in his mind-twenties was yesterday sentenced to death by hanging, for killing his friend who refused to be conscripted into his gang of thieves at Huhunya in the Yilo Krobo District of the Eastern Region.
Abraham Narh killed his friend, Stephen Tettey, for refusing to join the robbery gang he had formed. Narh pleaded not guilty to murder but the seven-member, jury of the Koforidua High Court returned a verdict of guilty. In pronouncing judgement, Justice T.S. Suurbared said “You will be taken to the prisons and hanged until you die and your body buried. May the good Lord have mercy on your soul”.
Prosecuting, the Principal State Attorney, Mrs. Emily Addo-Okyireh, had told the court that Tettey and Narh were good friends and lived together at Huhunya. She said that on September 24, 2008, Tettey reported to the chief of Huhunya, Nene Kwaku Wayo, that Narh had collected his garden-gun and refused to return it to him because he had refused his request to be drafted into an armed robbery gang, adding that Narh also threatened him with death.
The prosecutor said Nene Wayo advised Tettey to report the matter to the police but he did not do so. According to the prosecution, Tettey was found dead the following day in his compound with gun-shot wounds in the chest and police investigations showed that he was shot through the window of his room at night, while he was asleep.
Narh went into hiding but was arrested by some of the towns-folk and handed over to the police. Mrs. Addo-Okyireh said when he was arrested, he had in his possession the garden-gun he took from Tettey together with live cartridges.