The Wa High Court has sentenced Eliasah Mahama, a former Human Resource Manager of Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, also known as Jirapa Dubai, to life imprisonment for the murder of the hotel’s CEO, Eric Johnson.
The court’s unanimous 7-0 ruling on October 15 followed a nearly year-long trial that gripped the Upper West Region. Mahama, who had previously been dismissed from the hotel for engaging in multiple sexual relationships with over four female staff members—leading to workplace conflict and tension—was found guilty of premeditated murder and robbery.
According to the prosecution, on the night of February 10, 2024, Mahama scaled the wall of Mr. Johnson’s private residence using a ladder and contacted another staff member, Belinda Miller, for information about the location of a master key to Johnson’s room. He then entered the room and stabbed the CEO multiple times, leaving him dead in a pool of blood. Mahama fled the scene in Johnson’s vehicle, which was later abandoned at Jirapa Zongo, and also made away with an unspecified amount of money.
The court acquitted two other suspects. Speaking after the verdict, counsel for the Johnson family expressed relief, stating that while nothing could bring Eric Johnson back, justice had been served.
The case has drawn national attention, not only due to the shocking nature of the crime but also the background of the perpetrator and the loss of a well-known business figure in northern Ghana.
