Crime & Punishment of Friday, 15 November 2013

Source: Daily Guide

Italian wife killer in court

The Italian national accused of killing his wife was yesterday put before an Accra Central Magistrate Court in connection with the cold-blooded murder of his partner Bellunatu Egle in their three-bedroom house at Kuntunse.

The suspect, Serradura Luigi, 62, was put in a court presided over by Charles Boateng and charged with murder.

His plea was not taken, and he was remanded in police custody after the prosecuting officer DSP Cletus Kofi Abadamloora said he was instructed to bring him to court for a remand to enable police to conduct further investigations into the matter.

The accused person was consequently remanded in police custody on the orders of the trial judge while the case has been adjourned to December 6, 2013.

The facts of the case before the court are that the suspect is a pensioner while the deceased, Egle, was a 74-year-old pensioner. They both resided in Ghana.

It stated that it was the suspect who initially arrived in the country and brought the deceased to engage in philanthropic activities. They were initially residing with a friend but later cohabited as wife and husband.

According to the facts, the deceased sold her house in Italy to put up a three-bedroom house at Kuntunse and they moved in together in 2009.

Furthermore, it said the 74-year-old bought a pickup vehicle which the couple used for their activities. They soon met Johnson Mawutor Dzakpasu, 56, who also spoke Italian and became friends with him.

In addition, it said Dzakpasu went to the house of the suspect and his partner on Tuesdays and Thursdays to clean and noted that whenever he was to go and clean the house he often called the suspect to pick him at a junction at Amasaman.

It noted that on October 29, 2013 Dzakpasu called the suspect to pick him at the Nsawam Junction, but Luigi said he was at Nsawam and asked him to pick a taxi to the house, which he did.

Explaining further, it stated that when the cleaner arrived at the house he realized that the door was locked so he knocked several times but there was no response and he tried the line of the deceased but she did not pick up.

According to the facts, the cleaner changed his clothes and started work in the compound and when he finished he sat on a plastic chair in the compound but felt he had sat on something so he looked on the chair and saw the key to the main door.

The facts stated that Dzakpasu opened the door and found the victim lying at the entrance in a pool of blood so he called the suspect who came and they rushed to Amasaman Police Station to report the case.

It explained that the suspect alleged that robbers had attacked his house and taken an Acer laptop, GH¢4000, 1000 Euros and two mobile phones.

In addition, it stated that the victim was lying in a supine position, meaning the body was carefully placed at the entrance of the main door and Egle was wearing khaki shorts and violet blouse while her dentures was found in the kitchen.

However, it said the implement used in killing the deceased was not found and that investigations into her murder revealed that due to the remoteness of their residence none of the couple left home without the other.

It noted that investigations into the matter also revealed the suspect wanted his partner to bequeath the house to him so she reluctantly made a will to that effect but what brought about problems between the couple was that the suspect had changed the ownership of the pickup vehicle from the deceased’s name to his.

It further said police investigations found a bloodstained jacket soaked in water in the house believed to have been worn by the suspect when he committed the alleged offence.

The facts noted that the body of Bellunatu has been deposited at the hospital for autopsy while the suspect has been arraigned for the offence.