The High Court in Wa has sentenced Elisha Mahama to life imprisonment for the murder of Eric Johnson, the owner of the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, popularly known as “Jirapa Dubai.”
Presided over by Justice Yussif Assibey, the court found Mahama guilty of the February 2024 killing, while acquitting and discharging two other accused persons, Belinda Miller and Kweku Kankumbata.
Eric Johnson, a respected entrepreneur and hotel owner in the Upper West Region, was fatally stabbed in his private residence on the night of February 10, 2024. Known for his efforts to boost tourism and create employment in Jirapa, Johnson had recently built the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel, featuring a 4-kilometer safari park, zebras, an artificial lake, and water sports facilities.
According to the prosecution, Elisha Mahama, a former human resource manager at the hotel, had been dismissed prior to the incident over allegations of inappropriate relationships with multiple female staff, which had led to workplace conflict.
On the night of the murder, Mahama reportedly scaled the hotel’s secure perimeter wall using a ladder to gain access to Johnson’s private residence. Phone records showed that he called co-accused Belinda Miller multiple times from the scene, seeking directions to the master key for Johnson’s room.
Once inside, Mahama stabbed Johnson multiple times, leaving him dead and in a pool of blood. He allegedly stole an undisclosed amount of cash and the keys to Johnson’s private Nissan vehicle, which he later abandoned in Jirapa Zongo.
The prosecution also revealed that on the same night, Mahama had left another girlfriend, Laureate Asare, in his own room under the pretense of going to buy food.
With the conviction now secured, the case has drawn a close on a murder that shocked the local community and the hospitality industry.
