A seven-person jury found Effort Dankwa guilty of attempted murder for killing his pregnant wife as she slept.
Benita Dankwa awakened on August 29, 2015, “feeling like a balloon” and shortly learned she was paralyzed. The couple’s mattress subsequently revealed a close-range bullet wound through her chest.
Her husband, Effort Dankwa, was the major suspect.
After an initial 4-3 “guilty” conviction, the jury of six men and one woman returned a 5-2 guilty decision. The judge stressed that if the offense did not entail the death sentence, a unanimous vote was not required. Yet, in order to convict someone, the vote must be at least 5-2.
The jury deliberated briefly before returning with a 5-2 ruling.
Effort Dankwa’s face lighted up as the first judgment was read, but when the second verdict was delivered by the female jury, her expression went blank.
The court ordered that he be kept by police until his sentence on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Benita Dankwa’s parents expressed relief that justice had been served on behalf of their daughter, who was paralyzed from the chest down.
The jury’s ruling came seven years after Effort, then 36, was arrested after police identified him as the primary suspect in an attack on his wife, Benita Dankwa, then 29.
When her husband shot her in the chest, she assumed he was attempting to murder her.
While the assault did not kill her, it immobilized her and prevented her from passing urine or feces spontaneously.
Her husband failed to disclose that she had been shot, therefore she was sent to Tema General Hospital first. The medical team at Tema General Hospital sent her to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after discovering the gunshot wound.
He was detained after being held briefly and released on bail. Manasseh Azure Awuni was notified of the issue by a family acquaintance who was concerned that the case might end in death. After then, Awuni created a documentary on it, which startled many Ghanaians.
Effort Dankwa has been detained again and charged with attempted murder. He denied the accusation, claiming that the shooting was carried out by armed thieves from Ashaiman.
According to investigations, there was no break-in on the night of the assault, and Benita had just spent the night with her husband.
Effort Dankwa was arrested in 2016 after police investigations indicated that he was the prime suspect in an attack on his wife.
Throughout the hearings, Benita told the court that she felt her better half committed the offense because he did not want a child.
According to court papers, Effort Dankwa is reported to have asked his wife’s cousin Priscilla to clean up the crime scene a day after the occurrence.
When executing the duty, Priscilla claimed to have found a blood-soaked towel tucked beneath the bed. She added that since She had always used the towel while showering, she recognized the owner immediately.
The towel was green, with three red dolls and flowers engraved on it, according to Priscilla. When she handed the accused the bleeding towel, he allegedly told her to throw it away.
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