Spousal murder may sound weird but not uncommon as there have been several of such cases recorded in Ghana over the years.
The dream of every couple is marital bliss, but they end up sometimes in tears, depression, disappointment, abuse and physical assault.
Unfortunately, on many occasions, these marriages turn sour, to the extent of one partner harming the other, even though they are supposed to be deeply in love.
The most common is using sharp instruments like knives to stab each other during heated misunderstandings.
Women are mostly the victims in such situations, but there have been instances where they were the culprits.
In this article, The Ghana Report looks at the major spousal murders that sent shockwaves across the nation and efforts by the police to solve them.
- Nana Ama Clark
24-year-old Nana Ama, a level 300 marketing student at the Cape Coast Technical University, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend for rituals.
She was found dead at Ola Estate in Cape Coast with her private parts cut off.
The suspect, Nicholas Ato Bronk Taylor, was arrested and remanded by a Cape Coast Circuit Court.
He was arraigned on Monday, 16 May 2022. He was remanded again into police custody to reappear on 31 May 2022 at the Cape Coast District Court B.
He was later charged with murder.
- Yaa Linda
The 31-year-old teacher at Gomoa Ejumako D/A Primary School met her untimely death on Friday, 11 March 2022, when Isaac Kwesi Kyemenu Sarsah reportedly pounced on her and strangled her until she became unconscious.
The family of the deceased said she was pronounced dead moments after reaching the hospital following the incident.
They noted that Isaac and Linda had been cohabiting for 15 years and had four children.
The suspect, according to them, had been beating and issuing threats against the woman, warranting their separation and relocation of Linda for her safety.
The family thus conferred and determined that she would not return to her partner until an official marriage ceremony.
However, after meeting his partner in her room and strangling her till she passed out, Kyemenu reportedly fled the scene to a nearby bush to attempt suicide.
- David Ayornu (suspect)
On Friday, 3 June 2022, the Ada Police Command in the Greater Accra region arrested David Ayornu for slashing his wife’s belly and killing her instantly.
According to residents of Lufenya, near Kasseh in the Ada East District, Ayornu stabbed his wife, Theresa Kwao, with a knife and dragged it multiple times, resulting in the burst of her intestines.
The suspect was arrested and placed in police custody.
- Mallam Zuberu
The Muslim community at Accra Newtown were thrown into a state of shock when they woke up in February 2022 to the news of the death of an Imam.
Mallam Zuberu, the deceased, was said to have gone to the mosque to carry out his routine assignment of leading Islamic faithfuls in prayer as the Imam of the Alawiye Mosque.
When he got to his house after his morning prayer, he told a neighbour that he was scared to enter the house.
He eventually did, and as he lay on his bed, unknown to him, his wife had boiled water, to which she added salt, and proceeded to undertake her mission.
Identified as Abiba, the wife splashed the boiling water on the husband as he winced in pain. The woman didn’t hold back but poured the remaining hot water on the Imam as he struggled with burns all over his body, leading to his death a few days later.
Abiba was arrested by the police and arraigned.
Residents of the neighbourhood where the incident occurred said the couple had been in matrimony for fifteen years, albeit with intermittent quarrels.
- Joyce Johnes Afi Jassika
Emmanuel Okyere Baffour allegedly stabbed his wife to death without hesitation even though he had vowed in church to love, protect and cherish her for life.
The incident occurred on 6 August 2021, at Degede, a suburb of Bibiani in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region.
According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that 26-year-old Joyce Johnes Afi Jassika decided to divorce her husband over a myriad of issues, but the man begged her to stay and that he had turned a new leaf.
The woman, however, insisted on walking out of the marriage. Consequently, she packed and left for her parent’s abode.
The police said on the day of the incident, the suspect went to the deceased’s house when her parents were not around to attack her with a knife.
He allegedly stabbed her five times, covered the body with clothes in the room, and absconded.
- Georgina Sayel
Georgina Sayel was allegedly stabbed to death by her boyfriend in his room in Cape Coast, after which he committed suicide by hanging.
Police in Elmina found Emmanuel Kwakye’s body on a tree at the Bronyibima M/ A Basic school.
On Monday, 21 September 2020, a friend of the deceased reported to the UCC police station that his friend was missing.
According to him, he called his friend several times, but his phone was off.
The complainant, who was from Akotokyir, subsequently visited the residence of Kwakye at Kakumdo to find out what had happened to him.
But he met the unexpected.
Instead, he saw the lifeless body of the lady in the unlocked room.
- Elizabeth Mudenda
On 22 November 2021, a man whose identity was only known as Frank was said to have killed his girlfriend at Ho-Fiave, in the Volta Region.
The deceased was allegedly murdered, and her body was concealed in a refrigerator in his room.
Residents who discovered the body after forcing their way into the suspect’s room were left in shock.
This was after sensing an unbearable stench emanating from the suspect’s room, with houseflies hovering around his window and door.
- Policewoman Sandra Asiedu
Another disturbing incident was the murder of a young policewoman in cold blood.
Police Constable Sandra Asiedu was found dead at her home at Damongo in the Savannah Region on 2 August 2021.
She was found in a pool of blood with wounds believed to be from knife stabs.
The police, in a statement hours after the incident, announced that they were on a manhunt for the late policewoman’s boyfriend, declared the main suspect.
- Harriet Kafui Ahiati
The beautiful, young nurse was allegedly murdered by her lover in the Volta Regional capital, Ho.
The incident, according to reports, happened around midnight on Monday, 22 March 2022.
The 25-year-old was found lifeless in her room the following day.
The boyfriend, a popular footballer, known as Jay, was found with deep knife cuts in the throat and the stomach.
It is believed he attempted suicide after allegedly murdering his girlfriend in a brawl.
- Juliet Obu
On 16 January 2021, residents of Gblaka, near Doryumu in the Greater Accra Region, were thrown into a state of shock after the discovery of a lifeless body of a 20-year-old woman.
The body, which was later identified as that of Miss Juliet Obu, a bar attendant, was lying in a pool of blood with several deep machete wounds on the neck and other parts.
Residents, who last saw the deceased, said she was in the company of a young man suspected to be her boyfriend some few minutes before she was found dead.
- Lillian Dedjoe
On 10 March 2021, a district court in Madina remanded into police custody Prince Charles Dedjoe, a businessman suspected of killing his 43-year-old wife at their East Legon residence.
The accused person has been slapped with a murder charge.
The police report revealed that a day before the incident, the deceased’s father complained that his daughter had been severely assaulted by her husband (accused person).
Mr Dedjoe reported his side of the story to the police.
According to him, at about 3:20 am on the said day, he rushed out of bed upon hearing his wife scream, only to find her lying unconscious on their staircase.
He claimed that together with his two children, they quickly rushed her to the hospital, but she was pronounced dead on arrival.
This was contained in his statement to the police.
- Elizabeth Akpalu
On 11 March 2021, a Level 300 student of the Evangelical Presbyterian University College died after her boyfriend allegedly assaulted her.
The boyfriend of the 31-year-old, Kumah Philip Ceasar, is the Deputy Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) at Akatsi North.
Yesutor Elizabeth Akpalu, who was rushed to the Ho Teaching Hospital by her friends on Sunday around 4 pm, complained of severe chest pains.
According to her friend, the deceased exchanged messages with her about being physically assaulted by Mr Philip Ceasar.
I have now come to understand reasons why this issues is going up each and every day in Ghana.
My opinion is that our Judiciary are the cause of all these. Because, they frustrate the men who gathers courage to initiate processes in court. They made the system looks like when it comes to domestic issues, the law favors the women because they are vulnerable. On this background, some woman are doing evil to their partners. Because they know that whatever being the case, they would be given some privileges and would be considered more than the men who are the most affected in the domestic issue. So until our courts will sit up when its comes to such issues, check the sensitivesness of the matter, then they immediately take a dicision to rule. But at a point where at times the court delays on a matters that can lead to other complications, when not address on Time, it leads to such unwanted decisions from men.
One may not Understand my argument here until you are a victim.
Not everyone can have patience to wait. Justice delayed is Justice denial.
So every one has a role to play but most especially the court or the judiciary.