‘He took two innocent souls’: High Court sentences footballer Richard Appiah to life imprisonment for Abisim murders

In a case that sent shockwaves through the nation, the High Court in Accra has sentenced Richard Appiah, the 28-year-old footballer and draughtsman, to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of two children in the Abesim community.

The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, following a unanimous guilty verdict delivered by a seven-member jury. Appiah was found guilty on two counts of murder relating to the deaths of two boys, aged 12 and 15, in August 2021.

The heinous nature of the crimes, which involved the mutilation of the victims’ bodies, sparked widespread outrage and horror across the Bono Region and beyond, placing the quiet town of Abesim in the national spotlight for months.

Appiah had been standing trial since 2022 before the court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey. The trial concluded with the jury finding the evidence overwhelming, leading to the conviction that mandates the maximum penalty prescribed by law.

The life sentence brings a measure of closure to a case that has haunted the community for nearly five years, as the judicial process finally concludes with the perpetrator being held accountable for the “shocking” killings.