By Joyce Danso


Accra, December 4, GNA-An Accra High Court has ordered the retrial of Daniel Asiedu, alias Sexy Don Don, a trader, accused of stabbing to death Abuakwa North Member of Parliament, JB Danquah Adu.


This was after a seven-member jury returned a 4-3 verdict against Asiedu on charges of robbery and murder.


Four members of the jury found Asiedu not guilty on the charge of theft, while the other three found him guilty.


On the murder charge, four jurors found Asiedu not guilty, and the three others found him guilty.


The late MP was gruesomely murdered in February 2016 at his residence in Shiashie, near East Legon, Accra.


The judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, ruled that the jury had no legally acceptable verdict under Section 285 of Act 30 and therefore discharged the jury.


The court therefore ordered the trial of the suspect and remanded him in custody.


On a bail application filed by the defense, the court formally ordered him to appear before the court.


It adjourned the case for hearing until December 20, 2024.


Asiedu’s lawyer, following the jury’s verdict, requested the court to allow Asiedu to be released on bail so that he can have access to his counsel and adequately prepare for his defense.


During the summary, both counsel, Mr Yaw Dankwah, and Sefakor Batsa, Chief Public Prosecutor, took turns addressing the court.


The defense and prosecution each took three hours to address the court.


The court led by Justice Mrs. Lydia Osei Marfo also took time to explain the matter to the jury before reaching its decision.


In total, the state called eight witnesses to build a case against the suspect.


However, the suspect, now 27 years old, did not call a witness. He is said to have committed the offense at the age of 19.


The deceased’s family went through the summary but left after the jury’s verdict.


Earlier, lawyer Yaw Dankwah appealed in a speech to the jury to find not guilty, saying the prosecution evidence was unreliable and full of inconsistencies.


“The prosecution’s evidence cannot stand the test of time. The story is planned and they just want to nail the accused.


The lead researcher came here as a messenger. He only came to ridicule the police because he only worked for his bosses.”


According to counsel, the autopsy could not be relied upon because the pathologist had taken two years to prepare the autopsy report and may have forgotten some important matters that should have been included in the report.


He said the pathologist told the court that his laptop on which he had the report had gone missing and he had to rely on the notes of his clerk, who had no knowledge in the medical field.


Counsel questioned the inability of the prosecution to call the deceased wife and mother-in-law to testify because they were in the house when the incident occurred.


He said his client could not have committed the crime because of the deceased’s stature.


The Public Prosecution Service has narrated how the suspect demonstrated to the police during the reconstruction scene how he entered the deceased’s room and committed the act.


The prosecutor recalled how Asiedu robbed the deceased of three mobile phones and handed them over to a phone repairman to charge and unlock them.


“If the suspect was nowhere around, how could he have possessed the deceased cellphones,” the prosecutor asked.


According to the prosecutor, the DNA taken from the suspect’s belongings, including a cap and a T-shirt, contained 100 percent of the suspect’s DNA.


The prosecution case was that Daniel Asiedu aka sexy Don Don and Vincent Bossu aka Junior Agogo were both traffickers. Asiedu lives in Agbogbloshie while Bossu lives in Madina, all in Accra.


The prosecution ruled that the suspects planned to commit robbery on February 8, 2016. Asiedu armed himself with a knife, cutter, slingshot and weapons and boarded a commercial vehicle from Agbogboloshie to Circle and boarded another vehicle to Madina.


When they got off at Shiashie, there was a misunderstanding between the two about which house to rob.


Bossu then left Asiedu, who continued to explore the area, and went to the Parliament Building at about 1:00 am on February 9, 2016.


The prosecution gathered that Aseidu climbed over a wall and entered the late MP’s house because the security man on duty was fast asleep.


Asiedu then took a ladder into the house and climbed into the room of the deceased, who was sleeping.


The prosecution found that Asiedu took three mobile phones belonging to the deceased MP.


The security man at the deceased house woke up and found a ladder. Police were contacted and arrived on scene.


The court heard that Asiedu handed over the deceased’s mobile phones to a witness to charge and unlock them for him.


The witness, after unlocking one of the deceased phones, saw photos of the MP.


Investigations led to the arrest of Asiedu, who confirmed that he and Bossu had gone to Shiashie to rob.


Post-mortem conducted by Dr. Lawrence Edusei gave the cause of death as xythamentia, meaning multiple stabbings.


Asiedu and Bossu were initially charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and theft.


Asiedu was additionally charged with murder.


The suspect pleaded not guilty before a seven-member jury.


The conspiracy charge was muted when the court acquitted and discharged Bossu, the second accused, after no case was filed.


GNA



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