A former footballer with Okumapem FC, Richard Appiah, the accused in the Abesim murder trial, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Criminal Court 1 of the High Court in Accra. The sentence follows a unanimous guilty verdict returned by a seven-member jury in the trial of the former footballer, who was found to have killed two teenagers at Abesim in the Bono Region and stored the remains of one of them in a refrigerator.
On Monday, February 25, 2026, prosecution and defence attorneys addressed the jury before the verdict was handed down. The case’s presiding judge, Justice Ruby Aryeetey, then gave a summary. The case stems from the killing of two boys at Abesim in August 2021. The accused, a former footballer with Okumapem FC, was charged with the murder of 12-year-old Louis Agyemang Jr. and 15-year-old Stephen Sarpong.
The bodies of the victims were found in a locked chamber in the accused’s home, according to the evidence that was given in court. One of the dead was discovered in the room, and the other was discovered inside the home’s refrigerator. A pathologist testified that one of the boys died from strangulation, while the other died as a result of severe blood loss.
Although the accused acknowledged causing the fatalities, he claimed insanity as a defence. Defence attorneys contended that the accused was afflicted with schizophrenia at the time of the murders and, therefore, unable to comprehend the nature or immorality of his acts. The court heard that he had been referred for psychiatric evaluation and was at one point declared unfit to stand trial before later being deemed fit.
The prosecution, however, maintained that the accused acted with intent. State attorneys pointed to evidence that he concealed the bodies, attempted to destroy evidence, and joined search efforts in what they described as an attempt to deflect suspicion.
They argued that these actions demonstrated awareness and deliberate conduct. The prosecution called five witnesses. The accused testified in his own defence and called one additional witness who happened to be his own biological father.
