Ghanaian couple face life imprisonment for beating son to death in New York

A US-based Ghanaian couple has been convicted of second-degree murder in the death of their five-year-old son.

The conviction comes nearly three years after the two brutally beat and left the boy for dead on Long Island.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae beat the child with “at least four different instruments” over three days in 2021.

The prosecutors added that neither Owusu, who is the biological mother of the victim, nor Addae called 911 or provided medical care when his situation deteriorated.

They continued by saying that they later sent the boy to a family member’s house.

The family member later returned home to find the boy dead.

“This little boy was beaten and suffered for days at the hands of these defendants, one of whom was his own mother, until he, unfortunately, succumbed to his severe and extensive injuries.

“Thanks to the thorough investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department, the relentless pursuit of justice by the prosecutors assigned to this case, and the jury’s careful consideration of the evidence presented, the defendants have been held accountable for this horrific crime,” the District Attorney said in a press release sighted by The Ghana Report.

Meanwhile, the Ghanaian couple are scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2024.

They face life in prison during the sentencing.