Family left disappointed as court defers verdict in Kasoa murder case
The family of 11-year-old Ismael Mensah Abdallah, murdered by two teenagers in Kasoa, has expressed profound disappointment as the court deferred sentencing to June 24.
Hopes of a resolution and closure were dashed as the court postponed the verdict to a later date, leaving the family grappling with prolonged anguish and uncertainty.
“As a family, we’re disappointed that the case has taken another twist, but there’s nothing we can do. We just hope that the court will abide by its word and deliver the judgement on the said date,” Harrison Mensah, a family member, told journalists after Tuesday’s court proceedings.
The trial judge, Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, indicated that the judgement would have to be postponed due to circumstances beyond the court’s control.
The two teenagers, Felix Nyarko, 15, and Nicholas Kini, 17, are to answer to murder and conspiracy to murder charges.
It will be recalled that on April 4, 2021, the duo were arrested by the police in Kasoa in the Central region for their alleged involvement in a murder related to money rituals.
Felix and Nicholas are said to have lured their victim (Ismael Abdallah) into an uncompleted building and killed him.
He was playing a video game when he was called into the uncompleted building by his playmates, who are known residents in the area.
On entering the building, the accused persons hit Ishmael with a club, two cement blocks and other objects.
Court documents indicate that the young boy was still alive when the accused persons buried him in a shallow grave.
The incident happened in the Kasoa suburb near Lamptey Mills on Saturday, April 3, 2021, between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The first accused subsequently pleaded not guilty to murder but pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.