The Tema District Court has remanded into custody six persons over the murder of one Charles Martey Odam at Adjumador, near Afienya, in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region.
They are; George Martey, 67, farmer, Nelson Anum Martey, 59, mechanic, Nii Marteye Martey Nathaniel, 39, businessman, Michael Martey Morrison, 35, businessman, Thomas Martey, 34, Freelance Writer and Daniel Martey, 35, welder, all residents of Adjumador.
Presenting the brief facts, the Prosecution told the court, presided over by Her Ladyship, Siran Mahama, that complainant, Martey Samuel Mensah, is a building contractor and the deceased aged, 70, was a Pensioner and lived in his eight bedroom self-contained house at Adjumador.
That, the complainant accused and deceased are relatives from the Changha Martey family of Adjumador, headed by the deceased.
George Martey, being a brother of the deceased, always registered his displeasure about the family headship.
Due to that, the accused persons have been abusing and threatening the deceased without cause. The deceased lived in a separate room with his daughter, Judith Merley Martey, 27, a medicine counter assistant.
On November 1, 2022 during the day, the accused persons, except Daniel Martey and witnesses, Elizabeth Tetteh and Samuel Narh, appeared before the Tema Community 8 Police over a portion of land under investigation between the accused persons and the witnesses.
In the cause of the investigation by the police at Tema Community 8, George Martey claimed to be the head of the Changha Martey Family of Adjumador, when the witness, Elizabeth Tetteh disclosed to the deceased, known to be the head of the family, and that resulted into exchanges between them.
Police scheduled another meeting for the parties on November 4, 2022 for George to produce his family head, the deceased.
On November 1, 2022 Michael Martey Morrison, in the afternoon, contacted the complainant on phone and registered his displeasure about the family headship and demanded to have a meeting with complainant and deceased.
On November 2, 2022 at 1:00am, the witness, Judith Martey, was awakened by a sound from gunshot, but did not know the actual direction from which the gun was fired.
She woke up around 4:00am, the usual time she begins her daily chores and to prepare to take her son to school and continued to Afienya, her workplace.
On the same day, at about 11:00am, Judith received a phone call from her uncle, Quarshie Isaac Martey, to the effect that masons working for her father (deceased) had gone to the house to work, but were unable to find her father.
Both Judith and Isaac rushed home, opened the deceased’s door and found his lifeless body by the side of his bed, in a pool of blood.
A complain was lodged and investigations initiated. Two spent cartridges were retrieved behind deceased’s bedroom window.
Police preliminary investigation disclosed that the death of the deceased was as a result of the dispute over who becomes the rightful person to be the head of family.
Crime Scene expert who visited the scene picked fingerprint and other evidence which are yet to be matched with those of the suspects.
