Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Source: kasapafmonline.com
Embattled Level 100 (first-year) student who has been charged with the murder of her boyfriend at Ashalley Botwe School Junction in July 2022 has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Safina Mohammed, aka Safina Diamond, after denying the charge of murdering Frank Kofi Osei, a Ghanaian resident in Canada, also selected her jurors to try her.
The accused, who had earlier been granted bail and asked to report to the Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department, meanwhile rejected three jurors in the process of selecting the seven jurors.
Safina aka Safina Diamond, during the committal proceedings at the Adenta District Court, said, “I am innocent.”
She added, that, “at the time of the incident, I was not in the house, but near the area, making calls.”
Frank, (now deceased), was gruesomely murdered at Ashalley Botwe School Junction in July 2022 when he visited Safina, his girlfriend.
Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, the presiding judge while adjourning the case to March 7 for the parties (Prosecution and the defence) to give their opening addresses to the jury said there would also be Case Management Conference and pre-trial hearings.
The State was represented by Nana Ama Adinkra, a Senior State Attorney with Isaac Wilberforce Mensah, Assistant State Attorney.
Samuel Alesu-Dordzi represented the accused person with Nana Kweku Oware watching briefs for the deceased family.
State to parade 9 witnesses
Earlier Nana Ama Adinkra, a Senior State Attorney, had told the court that they would be calling nine witnesses in the trial.
The witnesses, the Prosecution, said will include Michael Fifi Ampofo Arku, earlier held as an accomplice, but was discharged upon advice of the Attorney General on the case docket.
The Senior State Attorney also indicated that the prosecution will be tendering in some 31 exhibits.
The items to be tendered include an autopsy report, five huge dog chains, cello tape, four padlocks with 10 keys, a cutter, a pair of gloves, three knives, and accused person’s various investigation caution statements.
Background
It was the case of the prosecution that, on Sunday, July 24, 2022, Osei, who was on vacation in Ghana, visited Safina, his finance, who lived at Ashaley Botwe School Junction, and decided to pass the night with her.
The prosecution indicated that in the night, Safina, Arku and other accomplices yet to be arrested, allegedly stabbed Osei with a knife and strangled him.
It said Osei’s blood was allegedly cleaned from the floor by Safina and her accomplices while the body was in the room for 24 hours.
The body of Osei, according to the Prosecution, was dragged from the first floor of the storey building through the staircase.
It said the body was dumped at the gate of the house, where the deceased had parked his Toyota Tundra.
Safina Diamond allegedly called the Police, claiming that her boyfriend, who visited her, had died in her room.
When the Police proceeded to the scene, they found the body of Osei lying at the gate of Safina’s house. Safina was consequently arrested for investigations.