Di Ghana prophet and di mysterious death of im wife Charmain Speirs

Charmain Speirs na 40 years old wen she meet prophet Eric Adusah.

For several years Charmain bin dey part of one of di fastest-growing Christian movements for di world, Pentecostalism.

Through her faith, she appear to discover di happiness wey she bin dey struggle to find but sometin still dey miss.

"She just don get enough of normal men," her friend Anne-Marie tok.

"She want dat man of God. She want wetin dey promised for her.

"Den she tok say: 'I don meet pesin, na famous preacher'."

Her new love interest na di head pastor of Global Light Revival Church.

Originally from Ghana, Adusah dey appear regularly on Christian television channels.

E no just be pastor. For im church, dem dey call am prophet, and dem believe say e dey receive and share divine revelation directly from God.

Charmain meet di prophet for spring 2014 and afta one sweet romance dem marry for September dat year.

Six months later, Charmain die, dem see her body inside bathtub for one hotel for Ghana.

Authorities arrest Adusah on top accuse of suspicion of murder but dem later release am sake of lack of evidence.

E deny any involvement for Charmain death.

Afta more dan 10 years, one BBC Disclosure investigation don uncover significant omissions from im account of wetin happun for di hotel wia Charmain die.

Di documentary series – Charmain and the Prophet – also hear from Adusah former partners wey claim say e be danger to women.

Who be Charmain?

Charmain grow up for Arbroath, one small fishing town on Scotland east coast, for di 1970s and 80s.

Her mama Linda na cleaner and her papa Peter na plumber.

Friends describe her as "social butterfly" wey pipo dey like to associate wit.

Wen she dey 19, she move go Glasgow wia she bin do plenty jobs for shops, restaurants and bars.

Her friend Linsey tell di documentary say Charmain bin get several relationships, some volatile, and she end up for one women refuge briefly.

Back home, her family also face tough times.

She lost one brother for car accident, den her youngest brother bin bicom addicted to heroin.

About di age of 30, Charmain move go Swansea to start new life and to study photojournalism.

Few years later, for 2007, she born baby boy wey she name Isaac.

As a single mum, Charmain struggle wit post-natal depression – dat na wen she find religion.

She join di newly established Liberty Church and bicom active member.

Adusah base for London, and dey preach as di head pastor of anoda Pentecostal church.

Dem meet through one Christian dating site and within weeks, dem announce engagement.

Charmain mama Linda Speirs shock wen her daughter contact her to say she wan marry – becos she no even tell dem say she get boyfriend.

Friends tell BBC say as di relationship progress, dem go on from seeing her daily to not seeing her at all.

About six months afta di first meeting, Charmain marry and bicom di wife of a prophet, members of di church dey call her first lady.

Bridesmaid Mehrunissa Thomas say: "She bin go from normal pesin and suddenly she bicom dis celebrity."

Charmain appear to embrace di role.

But her friend Anne-Marie tok say wen she visit, she get different picture of Charmain married life.

Anne-Marie tell di programme: "She tok am clearly: 'E no dey show me any love. Love no dey, no passion' na her words."

Charmain, now pregnant wit Adusah baby, travel back to Arbroath to spend some time wit her mum.

Na di first time Linda go see her since di wedding.

She confess for her mother say dia marriage dey shake and she dey plan to move home.

But den she enta bus go London bifor she fly out to Ghana. Her mama no see her again afta den.

Visitors for night

Police records show say Adusah na di last known pesin wey see Charmain alive.

For police statements, wey BBC see, e tok say im go out for lunch wit Charmain bifor dem go pool togeda.

E say dem later return to dia hotel room for di evening and dem get "nice time togeda".

Adusah say e comot di hotel afta midnight and travel go Accra for one 6am meeting bifor one scheduled flight back to UK.

E claim say Charmain wan stay longer for Ghana.

One witness wey bin dey work for di hotel dat night tok say di Prophet account leave out one very important detail.

Edward - no be im real name - tok say for late dat night two tall men come wit Adusah and dem enta room 112 wia Charmain bin dey stay.

E say im remember say one of di men bin dey hold one briefcase.

Edward say e and im colleagues bin dey suspicious about why di men dey go di room but dem no born dem well to question dem.

According to Edward, di men bin stay for up to one hour and afterwards dem help Adusah load bags inside im car.

About 1am, Adusah comot di hotel, e tell di staff say make dem no disturb im wife.

Edward say di last time im see Charmain alive na about five hours bifor Adusah and di men leave.

Adusah no ever mention these visitors give Ghanaian detectives.

Police documents confam say witnesses report di presence of three men.

Dem trace two out of di three men wey later confess say dem bin dey there dat night and dem sabi Adusah through im ministry.

Each of dem claim say dem bin dey di room dey pray.

One of these men say Charmain bin dey "vibrant and all kicking, e dey move up and down" wen dem dey di room.

Anoda man only confam say Charmain bin dey present.

Investigators for Ghana neva track down or interview di third man.

BBC Disclosure bin ask retired Scottish Detective Superintendent Allan Jones to review di Ghanaian police files.

E descibe Adusah omission as highly suspicious.

"You get di hotel attendant [Edward] wey tok at various times wit various pipo wey dey go in and out," di detective tok.

"And for him [Adusah] not to mention am once dey very strange.

"If you get many pipo wey bin enta dat room potentially even as defence witnesses, you suppose mention dem."

Questionable alibi

Adusah tell police say im leave im wife for di middle of di night to meet one reverend for Ghana capital Accra at 6am.

BBC track down dis reverend. E no follow Adusah story.

Evidence no dey say Ghanaian investigators ever test Adusah alibi - di whole reason for im middle-of-di night departure.

"For modern police investigation for UK, dem go trace evribody wey dia name dey mentioned for di statement," former Dept Supt Jones tok.

"Di pesin e dey go meet at 6am na important pesin to see, to verify weda or not dis dey true.

"And if dat no happun, then e be poor reflection on di investigators of di time."

BBC approach di Ghana Police Service for comment. Dem norespond to our questions.

Di heroin mystery

Shortly bifor di post-mortem examination of Charmain body, Adusah tell police say im wife dey deeply troubled, suicidal and she get history of drug abuse.

Dis narrative go play central role for Adusah release.

Six days afta police see her body, na leading pathologist Dr Afua Abrahams conduct di post-mortem.

"No mark of violence or trauma dey her body," she tok.

"If sign of struggle den, then e no dey obvious."

Dr Abrahams tok say she shock to find say heroin - actually a metabolite of heroin - dey her blood and for her liver samples.

Dem record her probable cause of death as heroin overdose.

Heroin dey extremely rare for Ghana, especially for smaller cities like Koforidua, wia Charmain dey stay.

Dr Abrahams ask detectives how tourist fit obtain heroin.

She say dem tell her: "Pipo wey dey use drugs know wia to find am."

Police no see drug paraphernalia, no traces of heroin for room 112, and nothing among Charmain belongings.

As part of di decision to release Adusah, Ghana attorney general office bin reference text messages wey show say Charmain dey suicidal.

Families and friends wey BBC interview tok say Charmain no dey do drugs and she no dey suicidal.

"She hate anybody on drugs," Charmain mama, Linda tok.

"She just no fit stand am. She tok: 'why anybody go wan do dat kain thing to dia body?'."

More dan 20 pipo wey dey close to Charmain give similar accounts - she no use drugs and she no dey suicidal.

"First of all, she hate drugs," her bridesmaid Mehrunissa Thomas tok.

"Secondly, no way she go get drug for her system knowing she say she dey pregnant.

"E dey completely unlike her, totally out of character."

One second UK post-mortem examination later analyse Charmain hair.

E dey negative for opioids, wey confam say she no be drug user.

Who be di Prophet?

During di BBC investigation, e bicom clear say Eric Adusah get multiple identities.

For Ghana, locals know am as Eric Adu Brefo.

For Maryland, USA - wia e dey live now - e go by Eric Isaiah Kusi Boateng.

Former partners say Adusah go by different names and ages.

Lynne, wey get wetin she describe as an emotionally abusive relationship wit am, sabi am as "Daniel" until anoda woman contact her.

She no know say na preacher e be.

Di woman wey contact Lynne, and anoda former partner, tell us say dem go later warn Charmain about Adusah too.

Anoda partner, Emily, no be her real name, tok say Adusah control evri aspect of her life.

"E gradually, very slowly, start to change," she tok.

"I gatz style my hair certain way, dress in a certain way, evritin gatz dey strictly how e want am.

"I gatz stay house, I no fit go out, e also collect my phone, becos e no want make I call my family."

Emily tok say di real Eric dey very different to di pious preacher e portray imsef to be.

"In reality, I dey very vulnerable and I no know say time dey go and say e don brainwash me," she tok.

"I dey manipulated by di fact say na God will. I bin dey afraid of going against God's will."

She say Adusah use faith to manipulate and isolate her, she describe im power as "mental, not physical".

However, Charmain son, Isaac, tok say Adusah hit im and im mother.

"I fit hear my mama dey scream and dey cry," Isaac, wey be 19 tok.

"And e enta my room try to hit me.

"My mama stand between me and him and e end up punching her for di face."

Isaac tok: "E call imsef prophet. Which prophet go hit dia wife? Which prophet go lay finger on a child?

"I no tink any prophet go do sometin like dat."

"Di way e dey tok to my mama, di way e dey treat her, no be bloody prophet.

"E be evil human being. E no deserve a fraction of di praise e get for dat church."

According to Isaac, psychological abuse bin dey too.

"E control evri aspect of her life," Isaac tok.

"E control her phone, her money, her clothes, her eating habits.

"Na im dey control her happiness. No be relationship. E just dey dictate her life."

Charmain mama also claim say she bin witness signs of domestic violence.

As she dey cut Charmain hair, Linda say she discover bald patches she Adusah cause.

" I bin dey brush di back of her hair and wen I lift her hair up. Bald patches bin dey di back of her head. I say, 'why you get bald patches for your hair Charmain and on your skull?'," Linda tok.

At first her daughter bin no wan tok, Linda say she threaten her bifor Charmain claim say na her husband pull her hair.

"I say, 'why e dey pull your hair'? And of course, my voice begin dey go up and I don begin dey vex," Linda tok.

Multiple sources tell BBC say dem see signs of a broader pattern of coercive control.

Charmain final days

While she dey Ghana, Charmain loved ones bin struggle to reach her.

One woman from Adusah church - wey later give statement to UK police - tok say Charmain bin secretly get second phone becos Adusah don seize her main fone.

Charmain tell her say she bin discover say Adusah dey use anoda name, and e lie about im age, and e get anoda wife for Ghana.

Di witness say Charmain bin dey consider divorce, and dey plan to confront her husband about "im conduct towards her".

Di woman say she receive call from Charmain di night bifor she last dey seen alive.

She tell police say she fit hear di couple dey argue. She say Adusah dey shout and Charmain dey submissive.

"Each time Eric [Adusah] tok I go hear bang on di table like say e dey hit im hand on di table to emphasise wetin e dey tok," di woman tok.

Dis witness tok say, afta 15 minutes, she hear "anoda bang and di call end".

Ghanaian police no see dis statement becos UK authorities decide not to share am as Ghana retain di death penalty.

Di search for answers

BBC documentary track Adusah down to Maryland for USA wia e dey live wit im wife and children and still dey preach wit di Global Light Revival.

E tell BBC say di investigation and attempts to question am don cause am "severe emotional distress" and say im don "endure profound personal trauma" afta e lose im wife and child.

E no ansa our kwesions about di treatment of im former partners.

Di truth about wetin happun for room 112 fit no dey ever fully known.

Charmain son Isaac still dey search for ansas as e navigate life without im mother.

"I gatz live di rest of my life knowing say my mum no go ever see wetin I bicom for my life. E dey really get to me," e tok.