An Accra court has remanded a 33-year-old artist, Joshua Kerry Arthur, who is accused of murdering Professor Amedeker Mawuadem of the University of Education, Winneba, and secretly burying him on his compound.
Arthur, who faces a charge of murder, did not enter a plea when he appeared before the Kaneshie District Court, presided over by Nana Abena Asoh Owusu-Omenyo. He is scheduled to reappear on June 23, 2025.
Presenting the facts, Chief Inspector Margaret Ofori Boadi told the court that the deceased, 71, lived alone in a two-bedroom house at Gyahadze, a suburb of Winneba, where Arthur also resided.
On May 21, 2025, around 4:48 a.m., the accused allegedly scaled the wall of the professor’s home, hid on the premises, and attacked him around 7:30 a.m. The prosecution said Arthur killed and buried the professor in the compound.
After the incident, Arthur is said to have remained in the house, packing some of the professor’s belongings—including a 50-inch TCL television and a black bag—into the deceased’s Toyota Fortuner (registration GX 2658-15), allegedly preparing to flee.
However, his plans were foiled when a fellow professor reported the victim’s unusual absence to the police. Officers visited the house and found an unfamiliar presence inside.
Police later discovered Arthur hiding in a guava tree in the compound. A search of the premises revealed clotted blood stains and freshly disturbed soil. Investigators unearthed the professor’s body, wrapped in a blue academic gown and wearing black shorts, a brownish shirt, and a yellow nylon rope threaded through his belt loops.
The body was transported to the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, where medical staff confirmed the death. It has since been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue for preservation and autopsy.
Investigations are ongoing.
