Abesim murders: Former footballer Richard Appiah jailed for life

Criminal Court 1 of the High Court in Accra has sentenced Richard Appiah, the former footballer at the centre of the Abesim murder case, to life imprisonment.

The sentence follows a unanimous guilty verdict returned by a seven-member jury, which found Appiah responsible for killing two children at Abesim in the Bono Region and storing the remains of one of them in a refrigerator.

The verdict was delivered after closing arguments from both prosecution and defence on February 25, 2026, and a summing-up by presiding judge Ruby Aryeetey.

The case relates to the August 2021 killings of 12-year-old Louis Agyemang Jr. and 15-year-old Stephen Sarpong. Appiah, a former player for Okumapem FC, was charged with their murders.

Court evidence revealed that the victims’ bodies were discovered in a locked room in the accused’s residence. One body was found in the room, while the other was discovered inside a refrigerator.

A pathologist testified that one victim died from strangulation, while the other died from severe blood loss.

Although Appiah admitted causing the deaths, he raised an insanity defence. His lawyers argued that he was suffering from schizophrenia at the time and did not understand the nature or consequences of his actions. The court heard he was referred for psychiatric evaluation and was initially declared unfit to stand trial before later being deemed fit.

Prosecutors rejected the defence, arguing that the accused acted deliberately. They cited evidence that he concealed the bodies, attempted to destroy evidence, and participated in search efforts in what they described as an attempt to deflect suspicion — actions they said demonstrated awareness and intent.

The prosecution presented five witnesses, while the accused testified in his own defence and called his father as an additional witness.