A fetish priest accused of killing a 41-year-old woman at Awutu Bentum in the Central Region has reportedly claimed that a spiritual force pushed him to commit the act.
The suspect, Cudjoe Hlolary, has been arrested in connection with the death of Joyce Akua Amponmaa. During police questioning, he allegedly told investigators that he experiences a powerful and violent urge to behead people whenever he enters what he described as a spiritual trance.
In a chilling account to investigators, the suspect said the impulse comes when he believes a spirit has taken control of him.
“I always feel like cutting off a human head whenever the spirit arrives,” Hlolary stated, adding that in the past he had been able to resist the urge but failed to do so in the incident involving the deceased.
He also claimed that the struggle with the supposed spirit had begun long before the fatal attack. According to him, there had been an earlier moment when he nearly harmed a close relative under similar circumstances but managed to restrain himself.
The killing of Joyce Amponmaa has sent shockwaves through the Awutu Bentum community, where residents are struggling to understand how someone accused of such violent impulses could have been working as a spiritual healer and interacting with members of the public.
Investigators say the case has also uncovered troubling allegations about what happened after the victim was killed. Authorities suspect that parts of the victim’s body may have been removed for ritual purposes.
Police are currently following leads suggesting that some of the remains may have been taken to the suspect’s hometown in the Volta Region. Security officials are working alongside local traditional leaders in the area as they attempt to locate the alleged burial site.
Meanwhile, relatives of the late Joyce Amponmaa have strongly rejected the suspect’s claim of spiritual possession. Speaking to the media, family members said they believe the explanation is an attempt to escape responsibility for what they describe as a deliberate and calculated crime.
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