Major Mahama: 12 Out Of 14 Suspects Found Guilty Of Murder Charges Following Lynching Of Soldier
- Twelve persons have been found guilty of murdering Major Maxwell Adam Mahama at Denkyira Obuasi
- The 12 were found guilty on counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and abetment of murder
- The soldier was lynched in Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region after allegedly being mistaken for a robber
Twelve out of the 14 persons standing trial for the killing of Major Maxwell Mahama have been found guilty.
They were found guilty on counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and abetment of murder after the soldier was lynched in Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region lynched on May 29, 2017.
Source: Getty Images
The jury in the case returned a unanimous guilty verdict, according to Citi News reports.
The 12 include the assembly member of the area, William Baah, who was accused of rallying the community to attack Major Mahama.
Two of the people two of the people standing trial alongside the 12, Bismark Donkor and Bismarck Abanga, were acquitted.
Following the incident, over 50 people were rounded up, out of which 14 were screened and prosecuted.
The case has been in court for about six years following the May 2017 incident that shocked the country.
In May 2022, political science lecturer Professor Ransford Gyampo criticised Ghana's judicial system for the slow pace of the trial of the murder case.
In the course of the case, some suspects in the killing confessed to their roles in the lynching.
Major Mahama was beaten and burnt to death by dozens of men after locals in Denkyira-Obuasi mistook him for a robber.
He had gone jogging in sports clothing and was carrying a handgun at the time.
He was laid to rest with full state honours in a case that has sparked widespread condemnation of the culture of mob justice.
The soldier was survived by a wife and two children.
Defence lawyer expresses fears
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the defence lawyer in the case, George Bernard Shaw, claimed there was a potential threat to his life after a confrontation with Major Mahama's uncle during the murder trial.
The incident occurred during Shaw's final address to the jury, where he urged them not to convict former assemblyman William Baah, a key accused person in the case.
The presiding judge, Justice Mariama Owusu, subsequently ordered security escorts for Shaw.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
