An ex-convict and now minister of God, Reverend David Gmercie, has expressed regret over a murder he committed 26 years ago which ended the life of an American lady acquaintance.

Rev. Gmercie was subsequently sentenced to death by firing squad.

He committed the crime in 1989 and was confined to condemned prison in Nsawam until he was granted amnesty in 2009.

Speaking about his experience on 3FM’s Sunrise, Rev Gmercie lamented about the sad experience he had in 1989 when he murdered his American female friend.

“When a man is in the world, we do all kinds of things and as a matter of fact looking at my life in retrospect I really regret I went to that extent."

“I was incited by my girlfriend and I was a drug user at the time so I didn’t sit down to really consider what I was about to do and I went ahead and did it."

“It was only when I committed the crime that I realised that I had done something wrong."

“The intention initially wasn’t to kill her but just to black her out and get whatever I wanted to get but she finally ended up dead and I was really sorry for what happened.”

He lauded the system of amnesty exercised annually by the head of state, saying even murderers become beneficiaries.

“There is this notion in prison that it’s only a certain category of crimes that benefit from amnesty but I can assure them that I committed a crime of murder but I finally benefited from amnesty, why because we have times and seasons when the President exercises his prerogative power of mercy.

“At a point in time I also fell within the category of prisoners who don’t enjoy amnesty but when the time came and the prison service realised that my conduct in prison deserved that I had to be freed they made recommendations to government and I was freed.

“A time is going to come when the President is going to release people who have committed crimes like armed robbery, murder and rape. So let’s pray that God will touch the heart”.