The High Court in Accra has sentenced Richard Appiah, a footballer and draughtsman convicted of killing two children in 2021, to life imprisonment after a unanimous guilty verdict by a seven-member jury.
Appiah was found guilty on two counts of murder for the deaths of two boys, aged 12 and 15, in Abesim in the Bono Region — a case that horrified residents and drew national attention.
Presiding judge Ruby Aryeetey handed down the life sentence following the jury’s decision, concluding a trial that began in 2022 and experienced several procedural delays.
The case surfaced in August 2021 when police arrested Appiah after discovering the victims’ bodies in his home near Sunyani. Investigators reported that some body parts were kept in a refrigerator, a detail that shocked the public.
The victims were identified as Louis Agyemang, 12, believed to be his stepbrother, and Stephen Sarpong, 15, a family friend’s son.
Early reports had described Appiah as an architect, but the Ghana Institute of Architects later clarified he was not registered. During custody, police also sought psychiatric evaluation after observing unusual behaviour.
The court said the sentence reflects the gravity and brutality of the crimes.
