Snapped: Women Who Murder - Sheila Aidoo

Episode Date: November 24, 2024

Police look at voodoo rituals when two Ghanian immigrants are murdered in their Maryland home.Season 30 Episode 26Originally aired: April 10, 2022Watch full episodes of Snapped for FREE on th...e Oxygen app: https://oxygentv.app.link/WatchSnappedPodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, this is Nick. And this is Jack. And we just launched a brand new podcast called The Best Idea Yet. You may have heard of it. It's all about the untold origin stories of the products you're obsessed with. Listen to The Best Idea Yet on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. From the team behind American History Tellers comes a new book, The Hidden History of the White House.
Starting point is 00:00:23 Each chapter will bring you inside the fierce power struggles, intimate moments, and shocking scandals that shaped our nation. From the War of 1812 to Watergate. Available now wherever you get your books. A vibrant couple from a foreign land find love in their new country. He was originally from Ghana. He moved to the United States. She's from Ghana and she knows the culture. They can speak, you know, their dialect together. It was a match made in heaven for him.
Starting point is 00:00:55 But just days after a big announcement... They had a number of their friends over to celebrate that they were expecting. A horrific discovery changes everything. friends over to celebrate that they were expecting. A horrific discovery changes everything. There was a body at the bottom of the stairs. He was covered in blood. And she had been shot.
Starting point is 00:01:14 So there was no question this was a double murder and one that was so violent. It's a crime too heartbreaking to believe. How could this happen here? Your old pregnant with a baby. The tragedy turns twisted when detectives uncover evidence of dark magic at play. There was a pillar candle, and it had writing etched into it.
Starting point is 00:01:37 And it said, die, die, die, die, die, set the dip. This could have been part of some voodoo ritual. Was this some kind of sacrifice or a murder motivated by revenge? Richie's done. All right. Music Music January 14, 2009. At 10.30 a.m., Prince George's County, Maryland, 911 gets a distressing call from a man at the upscale gated community of Oak Creek.
Starting point is 00:02:25 Someone by the name of David Sarpong contacted the Prince George's County Police Department, telling them that he was at the home of Seth Adoo because he hadn't heard from Seth in a few days, and that was unusual. David, how do you know Seth? That's my cousin. Your cousin, okay.
Starting point is 00:02:44 I just got a phone call from one of our cousins OK. David, how do you know Seth? Your cousin, OK. OK. OK. When officers arrive, the officers arrive at the scene. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody.
Starting point is 00:02:52 They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody.
Starting point is 00:03:00 They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. They are told that they are being held in custody. He's sitting in front of his parking lot, you know, driveway. When officers arrive, David explains he's even more worried now because Seth's pregnant fiance, Eunice Ba, is not returning his calls either. Eunice and Seth lived at the house together, and David had concerns that Seth or Eunice had fallen
Starting point is 00:03:25 or had become injured or something was going on with them. Since a pregnant woman might be in trouble, officers do not need a warrant to enter Seth and Eunice's residence. Inside, they make a disturbing find. There was a significant amount of blood all over the first floor, in multiple places in
Starting point is 00:03:47 the house, and it indicated that there was a struggle. The trail of blood leads to the stairs to the basement. At the bottom, officers see two people matching the description of 40-year-old Seth Adu and 36-year-old Eunice Baugh. Seth had been stabbed a number of times and his body was very bloody. Eunice was shot once in the head. So there was no question this was a double murder and one that was so violent.
Starting point is 00:04:19 There was no gun on the scene. There was no knife left on the scene. Homicide was called in right away. When Seth's cousin learns the tragic news, he shares it with family and friends, who had only recently learned of Eunice's pregnancy. It was so painful, so painful. Because I was like, my god, he had his life in front of him, and she did too.
Starting point is 00:04:53 Born in 1969 in Kumasi, Ghana, Seth was the youngest of six children and grew up with a drive to succeed. In 1992, at the age of 23, Seth immigrated from Ghana to the United States to pursue a degree in information technology at Montgomery College outside Washington, D.C., an area with a burgeoning Ghanaian immigrant community. I think that his identity was vastly involved with the Ghanaian community, whether it was
Starting point is 00:05:28 socially or at church, so it was a very big part of him. He stayed very true to his culture. Though he found comfort in the community of fellow Ghanaians, he longed to achieve the American dream. I know that he had aspirations to be in a better position than he was. So I think that drive is probably what just went with him from Ghana to the States. He was just a cool guy.
Starting point is 00:05:57 He's ambitious. You could tell he had that eye of the tiger. You could tell he was a go-getter. Seth was working in this grocery store to pay for college. It's always tough to do when you're working full-time and going to school part-time. That's hard. One of the regulars at the store where Seth worked
Starting point is 00:06:16 was then 35-year-old Sheila Culley. After a few months, casual conversation evolved into flirtation. Sheila was born into a religious family in Washington, D.C. She was active in the church, worked in the church nursery, and even helped to take care of her own younger siblings. When she became an adult, she opened up her own daycare business. Sheila owned a successful home daycare with two employees and a waiting list for incoming
Starting point is 00:06:47 kids. She was a business owner that had a very profitable business. She already was established. She was older than us. She had a house. Despite their 10-year age gap, 25-year-old Seth and 35-year-old Sheila quickly forged a bond. Sheila and Seth grew up worlds apart. When they got together though, they were a
Starting point is 00:07:10 really great couple. They both were go-getters, workaholics. Sheila also seemed to really love having a younger man. He was an attractive guy. The type of person that could light up a room when he walked in the room. He was an attractive guy, the type of person that could light up a room when he walked in the room. After nearly three years of dating, 38-year-old Sheila Cully and 28-year-old Seth Adu married in 1996. One year later, Seth officially became a U.S. citizen and was still working on his degree. Education was very important. He wanted to get an I.T. degree,
Starting point is 00:07:49 and that's what his focus was, to finish his associate's and go on and get his undergrad. And that was where he was laser-focused on. Sheila supported him through his education, and Seth, once he graduated and got his degree, he began his company in IT and made quite a lot of money and was very successful. They were not afraid to spend the money that they had. In the mid-2000s, they bought their dream home in one of the premier neighborhoods in Prince George's County, Oak Creek, to the tune of $1 million.
Starting point is 00:08:24 This area is probably one of the nicest in Prince George's County. There was a gated community. It's just the place that everyone would like to be in. These two people really started out in life with not a lot of anything, but here they are, living in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods. The couple even turned the spacious basement into a separate apartment, and the very first
Starting point is 00:08:50 tenant was Sheila's younger brother, Samuel Cully. Sheila was happy to continue to care for him. She'd been doing it since he was a little boy. And Seth was happy to give Samuel a place to stay. Despite their successful outward appearance, after 13 years together, Seth and Sheila began to grow apart. And in December 2007, the couple amicably separated and started divorce proceedings. They had a prenuptial agreement.
Starting point is 00:09:22 There weren't going to be fights about assets or who would get to keep what and who had to paynuptial agreement. There weren't going to be fights about assets or who would get to keep what and who had to pay somebody else for anything. It seemed like everything had been agreed to. While the divorce had not yet been finalized, Sheila moved out of the home and back into the house where she had her daycare business. At this point in her life,
Starting point is 00:09:42 Sheila had a thriving business and a life completely apart from Seth. Seth, on the other hand, got another chance at love in 2008 when he met 35-year-old Eunice Ba at a Ghanaian community gathering. Eunice was stunning. Eunice had dark skin, long hair. She just had an elegance about her, an easy elegance. Just like Seth, Eunice had immigrated from Ghana. She got here in 1996 and lived with family who had come before her. She was a nurse, somebody who was also well known and well liked in the Ghanaian community.
Starting point is 00:10:25 Seth fell hard and fast for Eunice. After dating for a few months, Eunice moved into the Oak Creek home with Seth. He definitely seemed to love her. She's from Ghana. You know, she was closer to his age. She knows the culture. They can speak, you know, their dialect together. Probably it was a match made in heaven for him. After dating for a year, on January 10, 2009, the couple invited their friends and family to their home for a party and a special announcement. Seth and Eunice had a number of their friends over to celebrate Seth's birthday and also
Starting point is 00:11:06 some news that nobody knew, that Eunice and Seth were both engaged and that Eunice was pregnant. I wish I had a recording of his voice and how excited he was. You can see the close intimate relationship that they had together. Very apparent that they were very, very close, and she was excited. He was happy. Just three days after their big announcement, the couple is found murdered in their home.
Starting point is 00:11:40 Homicide detectives arrive and survey the viciousness of the attack. Eunice was shot once in the head. Seth was stabbed over 40 times. With two victims killed in two different ways, investigators begin to interpret the blood evidence to determine how the crime unfolded. You could see the smears of blood along the floor and along furniture.
Starting point is 00:12:09 You look at the totality of what the scene looked like and what Seth Adoo's body looked like, and the only conclusion was that he did fight for his life, and he was in a violent struggle with at least one or more individuals. One distinct piece of evidence clues detectives in on how many people might have been present for the attack. The killers left footprints in two distinct patterns,
Starting point is 00:12:34 which was helpful evidence for detectives because they knew since there were two distinct patterns that they were looking for two suspects. Coming up, could Seth and Eunice have been the victims of a violent robbery? We thought it could be robbery because it was such an affluent neighborhood. Or would the evidence prove something more personal? The nature of Seth's injuries indicated that this was likely a personal murder. We believe that's who the target was.
Starting point is 00:13:10 This person, they killed extra three people altogether. What kind of person would do something like that? On January 14, 2009, Prince George's County homicide detectives are examining the bodies of 40-year-old Ghanaian immigrant Seth Adu and his 36-year-old pregnant fiance, Eunice Ba. Blood evidence suggests there was a violent struggle during the attack. The foyer was at the front door and it split into stairs going upstairs and stairs going down into the basement. And at that entrance it was a hardwood floor that had the bloody footprints. The stairs appeared to be smeared with blood as though a body had been dragged down them.
Starting point is 00:14:08 Based on the amount of blood found in the dining room, it appears the attack on Seth began in there. And he didn't go down without a fight. There were also drag marks on the floor as well. There was a lot of blood in the area. Given the amount of blood, it was presumed that the victim struggled as he was being stabbed as most people would. But eventually, he would have succumbed to his injuries and he was dragged down the stairs by his feet.
Starting point is 00:14:35 What the police then did after they removed the bodies is they sprayed luminol all over that the house in order to identify. And that's how they found blood marks that had been cleaned up. Detectives turned to the man who called 911, Seth's cousin David Sarpong, to see if he knows of anyone hostile towards Seth or Eunice. According to David, the only problem Seth was having was with the mortgage on his million-dollar home. Seth was gainfully employed working in IT.
Starting point is 00:15:16 Eunice was working as a nurse. They were doing well, but not well enough. The mortgage was more than they could handle. He was stressed out about not being able to afford the house. He didn't want to lose the house. David informs police the mortgage woes started when Seth had separated from his first wife, Sheila Adu, in December of 2007.
Starting point is 00:15:41 When they separated and then later filed for divorce, Sheila took her money with her. There was no way Seth was going to afford a million-dollar home without Sheila's money. Although their split had seemed amicable, the housing collapse of 2008 had put newly single Seth in a tight spot. He said, you know, we're underwater. We may have to end up selling it as a short sale. He didn't think that it would sell for what they owed on it. To have a home like that, of course, to him,
Starting point is 00:16:13 that's a dream come true. And then to feel like you're going to lose that, he seemed desperate. He just couldn't let it go. David doesn't know if the money trouble could be related to the murders, but he explains that one item of value has been taken. Eunice's Mercedes Benz. Based on the fact that Eunice's car was missing,
Starting point is 00:16:41 detectives determined that it was likely that the killer or killers drove Eunice's car out of the area. With the elevated police presence, word of the couple's tragic end quickly spreads to their friends. People in this area said, how could this happen here? We have security guards. We have gates, we have cameras. This person, they kill actually three people altogether. What kind of person could do something like that?
Starting point is 00:17:13 I mean, this is horrible. Investigators put out an APB on Eunice's car and are surprised to learn it has recently been recovered 10 miles away. Her car had actually been found the day before the bodies were found in another area of Prince George's County, just parked on the street with the keys in it and her purse in it.
Starting point is 00:17:41 With her wallet still in it, her credit cards, her cash, everything intact, there might as well have been a sign on the car that said, please take me. But a good Samaritan came along and reported it to the police. So it became very clear that without any forced entry and without things of value being taken, and then the car being found and it had not been taken too far from the house,
Starting point is 00:18:04 that robbery was not the motive for this crime. With one motive ruled out, detectives are hopeful that forensic processing of the Mercedes or the medical examination of Seth and Eunice might hold the next lead in their case. Eunice was shot once in the head. While personal, it didn't have the same amount of passion as the murder of Seth. Seth was stabbed over 40 times. The nature of Seth's injuries,
Starting point is 00:18:37 the number of stab wounds, indicated that this was likely a personal murder. We believe that's who the target was. The medical examiner determines that there was not a final strike that would have instantly killed Seth Adu, but that he bled out and fought until the end. One of the things that occurred in this case,
Starting point is 00:18:59 which happens in most cases, were most homicide cases, especially of a violent struggle. Seth Adu had a number of defensive wounds. And for those reasons, they took any DNA they could find from underneath his fingernails. While detectives await the DNA results, they receive a call from Seth's nephew, Daniel Poco. He tells investigators about an altercation Seth had with someone in his home
Starting point is 00:19:28 shortly after Sheila had moved out two years earlier. Detectives pretty quickly learned that Seth had a fight with someone by the name of Samuel Cully. Samuel Cully was his estranged wife Sheila's brother. This is an awkward situation for both men. Sheila's moved back into the house where she runs her daycare business.
Starting point is 00:19:54 The marriage is effectively over, yet here's her little brother still living with Seth. I do believe at a certain point that they weren't getting along anymore, and Mr. Cully was told that he had to leave. Daniel says that Seth's ultimatum led to a knockdown drag-out fight. Could Samuel have held a grudge? Sam may have felt some lingering animus towards Seth about being kicked out of the house.
Starting point is 00:20:33 Detectives now need to locate Samuel Cully, but finding him will open new doors police had never expected. Coming up, detectives get their first look at the killers. Eunice's car was spotted leaving on the video. At this point, detectives believe that both Eunice and Seth had already been murdered. And the case takes an unexpected and bizarre turn into the realm of the occult.
Starting point is 00:21:04 It had Sethadue's name on it. It had the word die multiple times. and bizarre turn into the realm of the occult. It had Sethadu's name on it. It had the word die multiple times. It had the address of where the murders took place. Whoever had this definitely had something to do with the murders of Seth and Eunice. You don't believe in ghosts? I get it. Lots of people don't. I didn't either, until I came face to face with them. Ever since that moment, hauntings, spirits, and the unexplained
Starting point is 00:21:40 have consumed my entire life. I'm Nadine Bailey. I've been a ghost tour guide for the past 20 years. I've taken people along with me into the shadows, uncovering the macabre tales that linger in the darkness and inside some of the most haunted houses, hospitals, prisons and more. Join me every week on my podcast, Haunted Canada, as we journey through terrifying and bone-chilling stories of the unexplained.
Starting point is 00:22:12 Search for Haunted Canada on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Dracula, the ancient vampire who terrorizes Victorian London. Blood and garlic, bats and crucifixes, even if you haven't read the book, you think you know the story. One of the incredible things about Dracula is that not only is it this wonderful snapshot of the 19th century, but it also has so much resonance today.
Starting point is 00:22:45 The vampire doesn't cast a reflection in a mirror. So when we look in the mirror, the only thing we see is our own monstrous abilities. From the host and producer of American History Tellers and History Daily comes the new podcast, The Real History of Dracula. We'll reveal how author Bram Stoker rated ancient folklore, exploited Victorian fears around sex, science, and religion, and how even today we remain enthralled to his strange creatures of the night. You can binge all episodes of The Real History of Dracula exclusively with Wondery+. Join Wondery+, The Wondria, Apple podcasts, or Spotify. Days after the January 2009 murders of Seth Adu and Eunice Ba, Prince George's County detectives go to speak with Seth's estranged wife, Sheila Adu.
Starting point is 00:23:38 They went to notify Sheila of the murders. Sheila seemed to be forthcoming and seemed to be saddened about this and surprised by the fact that Seth had been murdered. According to Sheila, they had the divorce pretty much locked up. They had a final court date of April 29, 2009. Some conversations happened here and again, but nothing really serious.
Starting point is 00:24:05 Sheila confirms that her brother, Samuel Cully, had argued with Seth when he was kicked out, but that's where the trouble ended. She told the detectives that her brother had left town prior to the murders to visit friends and was in New Jersey. He was not even in the state of Maryland at the time of the murders. She also told the detectives that he no longer had a cell phone
Starting point is 00:24:32 or any way to be contacted. Seeking more information, detectives try to determine how the killers could have gained access to Seth and Eunice's home. The Oak Creek community is a gated community. It has a high level of security. It has a physical gate. It also has cameras. There was a very elaborate process that you needed in order to secure a transponder
Starting point is 00:24:58 and to be able to get access to the community. You either had to be let in through security or by security, or you had to have a transponder, just a button in your car that you would push that would open the gate automatically for you. The community had a way of recording each time a transponder was used to open the gate. When Seth and Sheila moved into the house,
Starting point is 00:25:20 they were given three transponders. Seth had one on his car, Eunice had one on her car, so it left one extra transponder. ... Detectives immediately call Sheila and ask her if she still has the transponder that opens the gate. She told detectives that she no longer had one.
Starting point is 00:25:41 Investigators checked transponder records, and there was also video surveillance. Records show that the third transponder was used at 6 PM on the night of January 12, 2009, two days before the bodies were discovered. They saw a dark minivan going through the gates. They weren't able to tell how many people were in it or if even anyone other than the driver was in it.
Starting point is 00:26:12 The license plate was obscured. They had either been taken off or been covered in some way. So it was clearly an attempt to make sure that no one could figure out whose van this was. and make sure that no one could figure out who's van this was. The dark van then leaves just minutes later. Nearly two hours later, at 7.47 p.m., cameras capture Eunice Ba pulling into the community. When Eunice Ba came through the gate, we then kind of were able to deduct that she was the first one to arrive home.
Starting point is 00:26:50 At 8.29 p.m., Seth's car pulls into the neighborhood. A few hours after the van was spotted leaving, on the video, Eunice's car also left. At this point, detectives believed that both Eunice and Seth had already been murdered. So that means that the killer or killers had to lay in wait and hang out at the house waiting for Seth to come home. That also gave detectives a big clue that Seth was the intended victim.
Starting point is 00:27:22 Detectives now believe Seth and Eunice were killed on January 12 and that Seth was the intended target and Eunice's collateral damage. Records show that before that night, the third transponder had been used just one other time, 11 days earlier, on January 1, 2009. On that day, the car that entered did not have its plates blacked out. The car that was in the car was blacked out. The On that date, the car that entered did not have its plates blacked out.
Starting point is 00:27:50 They saw that it had been used by someone in a vehicle registered to Delford Barnes. Detectives look up Delford's last known address, and it turns out they had already been there. And they were shocked to discover that his address was the same as Sheila's. ... Immediately, not only is Mr. Barnes
Starting point is 00:28:15 somebody who has suspicion put on him, but now police are raising questions about, well, what is Sheila's involvement, if any? On February 18, 2009, detectives returned to Sheila's residence armed with a search warrant for her home and Delford Barnes' car. They also bring Delford to the station for questioning. Sheila was asked about who Delford Barnes was and why his address was hers. She said that Delford was her boyfriend and had been for some time. She said that Delford had been living with her for a couple of months. Detectives asked if Delford would have any reason to want Seth and Eunice dead.
Starting point is 00:29:03 Sheila said she couldn't think of any. Investigators process every corner of the house, but are unable to locate the transponder. But they don't leave empty-handed. They found a pair of lug-soled boots that could be consistent with the blood pattern left behind at the crime scene. ...
Starting point is 00:29:29 Detectives find no other incriminating evidence at Sheila's house, nor either of the murder weapons. But they do identify a new location to search. While they were doing the search warrant of the house, they found a receipt for a storage unit. The storage unit was in Delford's name. When detectives check the unit, the case takes a surreal turn they never expected. During the search of the storage unit, the investigators found a number of items that were, I would say, indicative of some sort
Starting point is 00:30:06 of unusual religion or some unusual practices. There was a pillar candle, and it had writing etched into it. And it said, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, set the due. It was something that none of us had ever seen before. There was some suggestion that this could have been part of some voodoo ritual. Police know that Delphard is from Jamaica and some people in Jamaica practice voodoo, so there's at least a suspicion that voodoo could be part of what's going on here. So the question was, did Delford write this? Did Sheila? Did Samuel? It was really creepy
Starting point is 00:31:00 and also a clear indication that whoever had this candle definitely had something to do with the murder of Seth Adil. Coming up, detectives learn that Seth and Sheila's split wasn't so amicable after all. She had provided Seth this incredible opportunity to gain an education. Sheila was not going to allow him just to throw her to the side after everything she had done and walk away. And police get a shocking first-hand account of the murder. That's the day you came in and all the air was going down. BOOM!
Starting point is 00:31:41 MUSIC Discoveries made in a storage unit registered to 50-year-old Delford Barnes shine a disturbing new light on the murders of Seth Adu and Eunice Ba. Found in the storage locker was the candle that had Seth's murder kind of written out on it. A candle with an inscription that is frequently associated with the practice of voodoo. But religious fervor doesn't make him a killer. Investigators attempt to question Delford at the station. At that point, they didn't have enough evidence to be able to charge him, to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Delford was in fact one of the killers.
Starting point is 00:32:32 So they had to let him go, unfortunately. While they wait for a warrant to test Delford's DNA, detectives shift their focus to Samuel Cully, who Sheila claimed has no phone. They questioned Sheila's two daycare workers, hoping they have more information. Right away, they asked if Sheila could have been at the murder, and they found out that she couldn't have been. The daycare workers said that she was at home,
Starting point is 00:33:03 so there was no way she could have been in that house committing the murders. Sheila's daycare workers provide her with an alibi for January 12th. The workers also offer up Samuel's phone number, something his sister Sheila claimed not to have. They told detectives that Samuel had a new cell phone, and they had spoken to him on it and had that number. Detectives suspect Sheila may be hiding more than her brother's contact info. And when warrants for her financial records finally come through, new clues emerge. Sheila and Seth had a number of policies together, naming the other as beneficiary.
Starting point is 00:33:55 If Seth had due pre-deceased Sheila had due, then first she was the beneficiary of a million-dollar life insurance policy. But the policies had a very suspicious expiration date. The final divorce hearing was scheduled for February of 2009, one month after Seth was murdered. And, conveniently enough, if the divorce had been finalized before Seth's death, then Sheila would no longer be the beneficiary of those policies.
Starting point is 00:34:26 Sheila put in a claim for the insurance policy within a day of finding out that Seth had been murdered. Detectives find it suspicious that Sheila would file a claim so quickly after finding out about Seth's murder. With a potential greed motive in hand, detectives get a warrant for Samuel Cully's cell phone GPS records. Prince George's County Police then used that to locate Samuel Cully, or at least the area
Starting point is 00:34:58 he was located in New Jersey. They went to that area, they found him. On March 10, 2009, New Jersey authorities take Samuel Cully into custody. And he immediately caves. Once authorities had Sam Cully in custody, the case broke open. Sam Cully began talking about details about how the killings occurred. Samuel says it all began on January 12th when Delford Barnes asked him to go with him to
Starting point is 00:35:35 run an errand. Prince George County Police learned from Samuel Cully that this murder started with a request from Delford to go with him to the Oak Creek house and get mail. I don't know what I know now, but I never will. Samuel told the detectives that Delford had the transponder to get into the gated community, and that once they got to the house, Delford had a garage door opener.
Starting point is 00:36:05 That's how the two men entered the home. They were only there for Seth, but things changed. By Sam's account, while they're there, Eunice comes home, surprises them, starts yelling at them. Samuel says Delford had a gun with him, and Eunice's panic set him off. Eunice was at the top of the stairs to the basement,
Starting point is 00:36:32 and Delford shot her in the back of the head. I said, oh my god. They started to tear the stairs. She was rolling down the stairs. Samuel says that after Eunice was dead, Delford insisted that they lie in wait for Seth. Seth comes in, what does he do? As soon as Seth came in and saw them, the fight began.
Starting point is 00:37:10 He describes the fight as going throughout the house. Samuel explains that he and Delford both had knives, but Delford did most of the stabbing. Did Delford arm himself with a knife first? I don't know. It happened someplace. I don't know. The knife that you had, what did that look like?
Starting point is 00:37:30 It was a tip that people invited to go to the kitchen. It's a kitchen knife? Yeah. Where did you stab him? In the back. Samuel Cully admits to his involvement in the attack, but says that Delford Barnes was the main attacker. Seth is fatally wounded,
Starting point is 00:37:49 and Delford drags his body into the basement near Eunice's body. From there, they took Eunice's car and abandoned it in the hope that it would be stolen by another party. But they did not account for the surveillance footage. They then walked the final few blocks back to Sheila's house. Samuel Cully never said his sister was involved in any of this. He would never discuss it. He would never talk about it.
Starting point is 00:38:22 discuss it, he would never talk about it. But then, Samuel lets his guard down, revealing an incriminating detail. He admitted that when they got back to the house after the murders, the transponder and the garage door opener were both given to Sheila. This points to Sheila probably knowing more than she's letting on. After his confession, Samuel Cully is charged with first-degree murder.
Starting point is 00:39:09 The next day, authorities arrest Delford Barnes, who still refuses to speak to police. I'm not signing it. Even without a statement, the case against Delford grows stronger when the forensic analysis of his boots found at Sheila's home comes back. The distinctive pattern of those boots were in fact a match for one of the boot prints found at the murder scene. And now that he's officially charged, police have the authority to test his DNA against the DNA recovered from the autopsy. Under Seth's fingernails, they found Delford's DNA. There was no question that both Samuel and Delford
Starting point is 00:39:59 committed these murders. Coming up, the last piece of the puzzle is connecting Sheila Adu to the crime. We frequently said to each other that Sheila should be sitting at that defendant's table too. She doesn't have to be there to be an accomplice. But one crucial piece of evidence would come back to haunt her.
Starting point is 00:40:23 I remember the examiner coming back, and you could just tell as soon as he burst into the room that we had it. MUSIC MUSIC In March of 2009, Samuel Cully pleads guilty to the murders of his brother-in-law, Seth Adu, and Seth's pregnant fiance, Eunice Ba.
Starting point is 00:40:51 In August of 2010, Delford Barnes' case goes to trial. Samuel is the state's star witness. The trial lasted a little over two weeks. Delford, at the conclusion of the trial, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and was given a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. MUSIC
Starting point is 00:41:17 Even with two men behind bars, prosecutors, along with Seth and Eunice's friends and family, believe justice hasn't fully been served. Throughout the trial of Delford, we frequently said to each other that Sheila should be sitting at that defendant's table too. While prosecutors believe Sheila was the mastermind, she did an excellent job of covering her tracks. There was no evidence that she was at the scene of the crime.
Starting point is 00:41:47 Certainly no evidence that she directly physically harmed either of the victims. While building their case against Sheila, prosecutors interview friends of Seth and discover his divorce from Sheila was not as amicable as she led officials to believe. Sheila had spent all this time investing in him and supporting him with her business. She had provided Seth this incredible opportunity to gain an education.
Starting point is 00:42:16 Sheila was not going to allow him just to throw her to the side after everything she had done and walk away. I think the last straw was their engagement and then the announcement that Eunice Bob was pregnant. While jealousy seems a strong motive, given the extreme violence of the crime, prosecutors believe that the fact Sheila was about to be excluded as a beneficiary of Seth's life insurance policies was a motive as well. Motive alone doesn't allow you to charge someone with murder, but we had her relationship with Delford. We had these insurance policies. So we had a lot of pieces, but we didn't have a full puzzle. But it was enough to charge her with conspiracy
Starting point is 00:43:05 to commit murder. She doesn't have to be there to be an accomplice. The transponder that she had issued to her was utilized to get into the community, was given to the individuals to commit the murders. On January 10, 2012, three years after the murders of Seth Adu and Eunice Ba, Sheila Adu is charged for her role in their deaths. But before trial, they have one last loose end to tie up. Who inscribed the Voodoo candle? As part of getting ready for trial, we had the handwriting exemplar done to see who was handwriting. It was on that candle. And we had it done twice, once with Delford and once with Sheila.
Starting point is 00:43:55 She would be writing and writing, and this process takes, as you can imagine, quite some time. But I remember the examiner coming back, and you could just tell as soon as he burst into the room that we had it, that her handwriting was the handwriting on that candle. I think that it was clear to all of us that Sheila was not just the accidental beneficiary of Seth's death, but actually had intended for him to die. Prosecutors suspect that when her curses failed,
Starting point is 00:44:31 Sheila solicited the help of her boyfriend and brother to take care of things more directly. They confront Sheila's defense attorney with the new evidence. On June 1st, 2012, Sheila enters an Alford plea for conspiracy to commit murder. An Alford plea means that someone acknowledges there's enough evidence that they could be found guilty,
Starting point is 00:44:59 but they don't acknowledge their guilt. Sheila was given a 20-year sentence. Life isn't value. She didn't value their guilt. Shiloh was given a 20-year sentence. Life isn't valued. What she didn't value was life. She didn't value the life of her fiance. Being the girl who's pregnant with a baby, she didn't value that baby life either. So hell with her.
Starting point is 00:45:18 I mean, the impact, I'm sure it was very shocking through the Ghanaian community. A lot of people were hurt by it. I think he should be remembered as someone who was true to his country. He stayed true to who he was from day one, but he also looked for a better life, and he made that life. Samuel Cully and Delford Barnes
Starting point is 00:45:41 are currently serving life sentences. Sheila Adu was released in 2021 after serving 10 years in jail. You've been doing this a long time and you're the best and created by Ben Watkins Multiple victims I connected to this comes a thrilling new series. He's a serial killer I don't care for fun. This guy thinks he's the smartest guy in the room. So I want to stick us out there He actually believes he's an artist. You're gonna be part of a masterpiece. This is the product of an unbelievable obsession Aldous Hodge is DC's finest Alex Cross. If we don't find him soon, we may never have another chance again. 30 years knowing Cross, I learned to trust his gut.
Starting point is 00:46:31 I can't size his head. The clock's ticking. He was hitting my house. He messed with my kids. He's gotta be getting close. Do you think you can stop him? I know I can. Because I know him better than he knows himself. Cross a new original series only on Prime Video. Watch now.

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