The jury was supposed to give its final judgement on Tuesday November 28, 2023 against some 14 persons standing trial for the murder of Major Mahama.

The case has since been adjourned to next year, January 25, 2024.

This was because, one of the jurors was indisposed, when the case came up on Monday, November 27, for defence lawyer Patrick Anim Addo, Counsel for 13th and 14th Accused persons to conclude his final address to the jury.

Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Supreme Court, sitting with an additional responsibility as a High Court judge, had earmarked Tuesday, November 28, for the summing up of the trial and for the Jury to retire and return their verdict (Judgement).

However, the date suffered unexpected setback as one of the jurors was indisposed on medical grounds.

Another of the jurors, has also indicated of his unavailability from the evening of November 28, 2023 to January 22, 2024 as he is set to travel out of the country.

This led to the Court adjourning the case to next year, January 25, 2024, for continuation of the matter that potentially required only two court sittings to end.

The Court had hoped to supervise the final jury address Lawyer Patrick Anim Addo, Counsel for 13th and 14th accused on November 27.

William Baah, the Assemblyman for Denkyira and 13 others have been charged for the roles in the lynching of young soldier Major Maxwell Mahama.

Major Maxwell Mahama, was lynched at Denkyira Obuasi (now New Obuasi) in the Central region in May 2017 when he was mistaken as an armed robber.

William Baah, the Assemblyman for Denkyira Obuasi and 13 others are facing various charges ranging from abetment, conspiracy and murder and are standing trial.

So far, the parties have closed their evidence and are orally giving their final addresses to the jury.

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George Bamford, 70, was fu­rious because George Bernard Shaw, counsel for William Baah, one of the 14 accused, asked the seven-member jury to free his client.

It took the intervention of court warrant officers to avoid physical altercation between Mr­Bamford and the lawyer.

When tempers calmed down, the lawyer told Justice Mariam­a Owusu, a Supreme Court judge, sitting with additional responsibility as High Court judge, that he was scared.

The judge therefore, instruct­ed her personal security guard to escort the lawyer to his car any time he comes to court.

Mr Shaw had told the jury that Major Mahama fired a gun at the accused.

The lawyer also said that his client did not play direct or indirect role in the death of Major Mahama.

14 people, including the Assembly Member of DenkyiraO­buasi, William Baah, are standing trial in connection with the death of the military officer.

Others are Bernard Asamoah, also known as Daddy; Kofi Nyarko, alias Abor­tion; Akwasi Baah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi and Michael Anim.

The rest are Bismark Donkor, John Bosie, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bis­mark Abanga and Kwadwo Anim.

They have all pleaded not guilty to murder, abetment to murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The prosecution said that Major Mahama was the commander of a military detachment stationed at Diaso in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central Region, to check illegal mining.

The court heard that at 8 a.m on May 29, 2017, Major Mahama, wearing civilian clothes but with his sidearm, left his detachment base for a 20-kilometre jogging.

The prosecution said at 9:25 a.m, the military officer got to the outskirts of Denkyira Obuasi where a number of women were selling foodstuffs by the roadside.

He stopped to interact with the women and even bought some snails, which he left in their custody to be taken on his return from jogging.

The court heard that while Major Mahamawas taking out money from his pocket to pay for the snails, the woman from whom he had bought the snails and a few others saw his sidearm tucked to his waist.

Soon after he left, one of the women telephoned the assembly member for DenkyiraObuasi to report what they had seen.

“Without verifying the infor­mation, the assembly member mobilised the accused persons and others, some now at large, to attack the military officer,” the prosecu­tion stated.

It said that the mob met Major Mahama near the Denkyira Obuasi cemetery and without giving him the opportunity to explain and identify himself, “attacked him with implements such as clubs, cement blocks and machetes, killed him and burnt a portion of his body.”

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The prosecution, led by Mrs Evelyn Keelson, Chief State Attorney, presenting its address, told the jury that the accused persons were charged on three counts of conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder, abetment to commit crime to wit murder and murder.

She said the prosecution after the close of its case called 14 witnesses and tended several exhibits, including cement blocks, iron bars, sticks and guns among others.

Fourteen persons are standing trial at an Accra High Court over the killing of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.

The late Major was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.

The mob had allegedly ignored his persistent plea that he was an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.

The accused persons are William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira-Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.

Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.

Mrs Keelson said at the close of their case, a prima facia case was made against the accused persons, where the accused persons made a submission of no case, but their submission was overruled.

She said the court held that a case was made against the accused persons.

To enable the jury to refresh its mind on the case, two short videos were shown to them to show that Major Maxwell Mahama was dead, and that the death was not through a natural cause.

She told the jury that the late Major was attacked by the accused persons and others with implements like sticks, iron bars, and guns, adding that doctors who performed the autopsy said the deceased was shot twice.

She said after the autopsy, doctors said the cause of death was because of multiple head injury from the attack.

The Chief State Attorney said initially, 56 persons were arrested but upon advice from the Attorney-General, 14 of them were charged to stand trial at the High Court.

The case was adjourned to October 23, 2023, for continuation.

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William Baah, alias Misty, a teacher, after opening his defense on July 8, this year, called two witnesses to defend himself.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of abetment while 13 others have also denied the charges of conspiracy and murder.

In court on Monday, December 12, the second defence witness for William Baah, Lalbil Kusas, a farmer told the court that another person who’s a local hunter called Tikwa, told him he (Tikwa) fired two gunshots at the military officer and wondered if he was still alive.

The farmer, who is a Kusase by tribe and spoke through an interpreter, said the late military man introduced himself to him the witness as a soldier.

He also told the court that the late Major Mahama also took his telephone number and had discussed with him his interest in bush meat and antelope.

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Under Cross Examination from the Prosecution led by Frances Mullen Ansah, a Principal State Attorney, the witness denied the accusations that his testimony to the court was to help the Assemblyman man get out of trouble.

The second accused Bernard Asamoah was called upon to open his defence before Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Supreme Court after the witness was discharged.