The Koforidua High Court has sentenced four persons to death by hanging after they were found guilty of murder.
The convicts, including three siblings, who had pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit crime and murder were unanimously found guilty by a seven-member jury which returned a verdict of guilty on both counts.
Kofi Bredu Armah, 60; Addy Armah, 40, and Aryee Badu Armah, 35, the siblings, contracted 40-year-old Lartei Tetteh to kill their uncle, Kwame Dartey, 50, who was the caretaker of the family�s vast land at Ntowkrom, near Nsawam.
Tetteh, who hid in a bush, shot and killed Dartey, who was returning home from the farm alone about 7 p.m. on October 12, 2003.
A state attorney, Mrs Priscilla Dikro, had told the court that the three brothers and their late uncle. as well as their accomplice, Tetteh, stayed at Ntowkrom, a village near Nsawam.
She told the court, presided over by Mr Justice Henry Kwofie, that on October 12, 2003, Dartey was on his way home from the farm when he met his cousin, a lady, who was walking alone in the dark with a lantern.
He went to see her off and, as he was returning home alone, he was shot from a nearby bush. But he managed to run for about 15 metres before falling dead.
The prosecutor said the incident was later reported to the police and police investigations led to the arrest of the three brothers.
During interrogations, Addy was said to have confessed that it was his elder brother, Bredu, who had come up with the idea that they should kill their uncle.
The siblings, according to the prosecution, discussed the idea and conspired to kill their uncle to enable them to also have access to the family�s vast property.
After they had agreed to kill their uncle, Bredu contracted Tetteh to execute their plans.
On October 12, 2003, Tetteh left his home for Ntowkrom with a gun hidden under his armpit and, while heading towards Ntowkrom, he saw the deceased with a lady in the dark.
Tetteh then laid ambush and later shot and killed Dartey when he was returning home.
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