The Wa High Court has sentenced Elisha Mahama, a former employee of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel—popularly known as “Jirapa Dubai”—to life imprisonment for the murder of the hotel’s owner, Eric Johnson.
Presided over by Justice Yussif Assibey, the court found Mahama guilty after a year-long trial that drew significant public attention across the Upper West Region.
Two others who stood trial with him, Belinda Miller and Kweku Kombata, were acquitted and discharged.
Eric Johnson, a respected entrepreneur and philanthropist, was found dead in his private residence on February 11, 2024.
Police investigations revealed that he had been stabbed multiple times. The murder shocked the Jirapa community and sparked national discussions about security and justice.
According to the prosecution, Mahama—who once served as the hotel’s Human Resource Manager—scaled the wall of Johnson’s home on the night of February 10, 2024.
He allegedly gained access to the victim’s bedroom with the help of information from one of his colleagues.
Mahama then stabbed the hotel owner repeatedly, stole money and a car key, and fled the scene. The victim’s vehicle was later found abandoned at Jirapa Zongo.
Investigations further revealed that Mahama had been dismissed from the hotel for engaging in inappropriate relationships with several female staff, which had created tension among employees.
A seven-member jury unanimously returned a guilty verdict on October 15, 2025.
Principal State Attorney, Saeed Abdul Shakur, who represented the Johnson family, described the verdict as a moment of closure.
“I’m excited to an extent. The wheels of justice, they say, grind slowly. We may never get Eric Johnson back, but at least justice has been served,” he said while addressing the media after the ruling.
The late Eric Johnson was widely admired for his vision of turning Jirapa into a tourism hub. His Royal Cosy Hills Hotel—dubbed “Jirapa Dubai”—features a safari park, artificial lake, and leisure facilities that have drawn visitors from across Ghana and beyond.
The verdict marks the end of one of the most high-profile murder trials in the region’s recent history.
