A US-based Ghanaian couple has been convicted of second-degree murder in the death of their five-year-old son nearly three years after he was beaten to death.
Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae were found guilty of brutally beating the child with “at least four different instruments” over three days in 2021, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
The prosecutors revealed that neither Owusu, the biological mother, nor Addae called 911 or sought medical assistance when the boy’s condition worsened. Instead, they transported him to a family member’s house, where he was later discovered deceased.
“This little boy endured days of abuse at the hands of these defendants, one of whom was his own mother, until tragically succumbing to his severe injuries,” stated the District Attorney in a press release.
“Thanks to the diligent investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department and the dedicated efforts of the prosecutors, justice has been served in holding the defendants accountable for this heinous crime.”
The Ghanaian couple is set to be sentenced on May 1, 2024, facing the possibility of life imprisonment.