A US-based Ghanaian couple has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for second-degree murder in the tragic death of their five-year-old son, King Owusu. Valerie Owusu, 28, and her boyfriend, Emmanuel Addae, also 28, residing in Corona, Queens, New York, were convicted in March of depraved indifference murder.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, left Valarie in tears despite her expressions of love for the child and pleas for leniency. Acting State Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski handed down the maximum sentences.
Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney remarked, “The jury has spoken, but unfortunately, that will not bring back this young boy.” The sentencing comes nearly three years after the couple brutally beat and left King for dead on Long Island.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, Valerie Owusu and Emmanuel Addae assaulted the child with “at least four different instruments” over three days in 2021. Neither Valerie, the biological mother, nor Addae called 911 or provided medical care as the situation worsened. They later sent the boy to a family member’s house, where he was later found dead.
“This little boy was beaten and suffered for days at the hands of these defendants, one of whom was his own mother, until he, unfortunately, succumbed to his severe and extensive injuries,” stated the District Attorney in a press release, thanking the Suffolk County Police Department for their thorough investigation and the prosecutors for their relentless pursuit of justice.
