Sogakope Assemblyman’s murder: Ringleader gets life sentence, two accomplices jailed 94 years

Five years after the brutal murder of Sogakope Assembly Member, Mawutor Adzahli, a Ho High Court has handed down life imprisonment to the ringleader, Richard Adikyere, a mason, and sentenced two of his accomplices to a combined 94 years in prison.

Presiding judge, Justice Daniel Ekow Mensah, sentenced Adikyere to life in prison for murder, robbery, and unlawful possession of firearms. His accomplices, Emmanuel Hedzro and Stephen Adzibolo, were each sentenced to 47 years for robbery.

All three pleaded not guilty but were found guilty after trial.

Four other members of the gang, Obed Ayornu, Michael Sam, Samuel Kofi Zotorvi, and his twin brother, Christian Zotorvi, had earlier pleaded guilty through plea bargains. Each was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

According to the prosecution, led by Senior State Attorney Andrews Dodzi Adugu, Hedzro, in 2020, tipped off Adikyere about a wealthy merchant in Sogakope and later introduced him to the residence of the late Assembly Member. Adikyere then recruited others to carry out the robbery.

On March 1, 2020, around 1:30 a.m., Adikyere, Adzibolo, Ayornu, and Sam stormed Adzahli’s home. Using cement blocks, they forced their way into the building. Armed with a pump-action gun and two pistols, Adikyere shot the Assembly Member three times, killing him on the spot. The gang fled with a large sum of money.

A post-mortem report from the Sogakope District Hospital confirmed Adzahli died from close-range gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

Police investigations later revealed that Hedzro used part of his share of the stolen money to purchase a motorbike worth GH¢4,800. The suspects were arrested at different locations, including Ashaiman. During interrogation, Adikyere admitted to shooting Adzahli and disclosed that the pump-action gun was taken from a previous robbery.

In delivering the judgment, the court cited the “heinous and callous” nature of the crime and the strength of the prosecution’s evidence.

As the convicts were being led out of the courtroom, Adikyere, handcuffed to Hedzro, attempted to lunge at journalists capturing the scene.

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