Five persons have been hauled before court in connection with the death of an American strip dancer and Instagram model, Julie Diane Williams, also called Tyger Booty.
The accused persons include a businessman and entrepreneur in the hospitality industry, Bright Udiagbe, also known as Big Slim; an employee of Udiagbe Susan Azor; a cook and a receptionist Gideon Kwafio; a gardener George Ntsor, and Odoi Laryea, a security guard.
Three of the accused persons are said to be employees of Rayporsh Hotel, located in the country’s capital, Accra, where the model was found dead.
Together, they have been slapped with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and murder at the Kaneshie District Court.
The court is yet to take their pleas.
But they were admitted to bail after defence counsels (Robertson Kpatsa and Gregory Asiedu) moved a bail application on behalf of their clients.
They argued that the facts of the case do not support the charges, and therefore the court should use its discretion and grant the accused persons bail.
They added that their clients are responsible members of the society, with family, a stable job and permanent places of abode, and have no intention of running away.
Prosecution, however, opposed the bail application.
Chief Inspector Lawrence Anane said the team was still investigating the case, and granting them bail may lead to some interference.
After listening to the parties, the trial judge Stephen Tabiri granted the accused bail in the sums of 100,000 each with two sureties, one of whom should be justified.
The combined bail sum was GHC500, 000.
Facts
As presented to the court, the facts of the case were that the deceased, Julie Diane Williams, 37, was an American national and a strip dancer at nightclubs.
The first accused, Bright Udiagbe alias Big Slim, 47, is a businessman in the hospitality and entertainment industries.
Prosecution added that first accused owns a hotel, restaurants and nightclubs in Nigeria and Ghana.
The second accused, Susan Azor, 32, is a trader and an employee of the first accused, while the third accused, Gideon Kwaofio, 31, is a cook and receptionist.
Fourth accused George Nisor, 35, is a gardener and fifth accused Odoi Laryea is a security guard.
Third, fourth and fifth accused are all employees of RAYPORSH Hotel located at Abelemkpe-Accra.
Prosecution said the deceased and the first accused have been in a working relationship for the past five years.
In December 2017, the deceased and two other American ladies named Sky and Diana, all strip dancers, were introduced to Udiagbe in Lagos-Nigeria by a friend known as Williams alias DAPO who requested Udiagbe to employ them at his Firefox Night club in Lagos.
That same year, the three-strip dancers, including the deceased worked for Udiagbe for four weeks on a commission basis at his Firefox Nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria but after the Christmas festivities they went back to the United States of America.
Prosecution narrated that a year after (December 2018), Udiagbe invited the deceased again to Lagos, Nigeria, to work for him. After the festivities, she went back to the United States of America.
But in 2019 and 2020, because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the deceased was not invited by Udiagbe as usual.
In November 2021, however, Udiagbe invited the deceased to Nigeria to work for him.
The deceased arrived in Nigeria on 26 November 2021.
At the time, Udiagbe was in Ghana making efforts to officially open Tunnel Lounge Restaurant and Firefox Night Club in Accra.
After working in Udiagbe’s night club in Nigeria for about a week, the deceased was invited to Ghana by Udiagbe to help him open his new lounge and restaurant.
The deceased arrived in Ghana with a single entry Nigerian Visa on 3 December 2021.
According to prosecution, the deceased however tested positive for COVID-19 at the Kotoka International Airport and was taken into isolation at the Ave Maria hotel located at South Legon.
“On 6 December 2021, the deceased tested negative for COVID-19 and was picked up from the Isolation Centre by Udiagbe.
“On the same day, Udiagbe gave money to second accused to book a hotel for the deceased. Second accused took the deceased to RAYPORSH hotel in Accra located in the same vicinity she lives.
“The deceased lodged in room 101 for a week and checked out from the hotel on 12 December 2021 at 12 noon to travel back to Nigeria but could not travel because of visa issues”.
The deceased is said to have returned to the hotel around 2:00pmthe same day and checked into room 101.
The third accused claimed the deceased was not served breakfast on 13 December 2021 because she did not respond to the telephone calls made to her room.
Prosecution said throughout that day, nobody checked on the deceased although it was known that she had not gone out of her room.
On 14 December 2021, at about 7:30 am, the hotel staff called the phone in the room several times in an attempt to serve the deceased breakfast, but there was no response.
“The management checked on the door and found it unlocked. They entered the room and found the deceased unresponsive on the bed and reported to police,” per the facts.
A team of investigators rushed to the hotel and took the deceased to the Police Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival by the medical staff on duty.
The body was deposited at the Police Hospital Morgue for preservation and autopsy.
On 29 December 2021, Chief Supt. Dr. Osei Owusu Afriyie, conducted post mortem examination on the body of the deceased and indicated that “the cause of death was unnatural but awaiting toxicology and histopathology examinations to give the actual cause of death”.
Based on the post mortem report by the Pathologist, the five suspects were arrested for murder.
The case has been adjourned to 25 January 2022.