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The Criminal Court 1 of the High Court in Accra has sentenced former footballer Richard Appiah to life imprisonment for the murder of two boys at Abesim in the Bono Region.
The sentence follows a unanimous guilty verdict returned by a seven-member jury after the conclusion of the trial. Presiding judge Ruby Aryeetey delivered the sentence after counsel for both the prosecution and defence addressed the court.
Appiah, who previously played for Okumapem FC, was charged with the murder of 12-year-old Louis Agyemang Jr. and 15-year-old Stephen Sarpong in August 2021.
According to evidence presented in court, the bodies of the two victims were discovered in a locked room at the accused’s residence. One body was found lying in the room, while the other was retrieved from a refrigerator inside the house.
A pathologist testified that one of the boys died from strangulation, while the other died due to severe blood loss.
During the trial, the accused admitted causing the deaths but raised a defence of insanity. Defence lawyers argued that he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the incident and did not understand the nature or wrongfulness of his actions. The court heard that he underwent psychiatric evaluation and was initially declared unfit to stand trial before later being deemed fit.
However, the prosecution contended that the accused acted intentionally. State attorneys argued that his actions — including concealing the bodies, attempting to destroy evidence, and participating in search efforts — demonstrated awareness and deliberate conduct.
The prosecution called five witnesses, while the accused testified in his own defence and presented one additional witness, his father.
The life sentence concludes one of the most disturbing criminal cases in the Bono Region in recent years.
